Broken
by GleeCrosse2134
Summary: Gay. That one word was the cause of all the grief and bullying Nick had gone through. That one word changed his life. When he transfers to Dalton Academy, he expects this; a safe place, with nicer, richer kids, harder work and where no-one is openly discriminated against. The one thing he doesn't expect is a certain blonde goof-ball, who also happens to be his roommate - and crush.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Ok, so second fanfic. I changed Jeff's eye colour, just to have a little difference (they both have hazel-brown eyes on the show). Not much to say, but as you can tell this is Niff, with a little Klaine and perhaps Huntbastian (probably later on though).

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or anything you may recognise.

**Chapter One**

Nick opened the door of the sleek, black car and looked up at the school that was supposed to be his safe-haven, his home for the next 3 years. With it's zero-tolerance bullying policy, it was perfect for Nick. '_Dalton Academy for Boys'_ the sign read. Nick sighed, and walked around the car to retrieve his suitcase from the boot, before trudging up to the drivers door and opening it, revealing the chauffeur – Greg – who was holding the papers the school had given Nick when he came here for his orientation, as well as the acceptance letter and key that had been sent to him in the mail. Greg handed him the items, before nodding goodbye and closing the door, driving down the long winding driveway and disappearing through the tall gates into the distance. Nick picked up his suitcase and walked through the giant doors and into the main hall of the school. Not quite sure where he was supposed to go, he tapped the shoulder of a boy who was passing him, and Nick was about to ask him where the office was, when the boy interrupted.

'Hi! My names Jeff, what's yours?' The blonde haired boy tossed his head, trying to get his fringe out of his eyes, which, Nick had to admit, was quite cute, as he kept failing.

'My name is Nick.' Nick muttered, not entirely sure as to why this boy was interested, as no-one normally talked to him. But then again, he was at a new school with new people, so things could change.

'Hi Nick! You're new here, aren't you? I would know, I'm friends with everyone, well, everyone except for John, 'cause he's really rude and small-minded, but then again so is the rest of his family so I guess that explains why and – hey? Where are you going?'

Nick had started to walk away from the rambling boy, he was speaking way to fast and way to much and Nick was starting to wonder if everything was ok with him, when Jeff skipped – literally skipped – up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Nick flinched, reminded of – _'You disgusting fag! You deserve to go to hell!' The pain spread from his shoulder, towards his chest_ – but it was only a small movement, so he hoped Jeff hadn't noticed. He looked into the boys green-blue eyes, and, to his surprise, saw understanding and concern flicker through them – he knew, he noticed_ – _but just as soon as they had come they were replaced with the same joy and excitement as before.

'Um... I was just going to – to...' He trailed off, not quite sure where he had intended on going once he got away from Jeff.

'Hey, are you boarding? You have a suitcase, so you must be. I board, and it is really fun! You get neighbours, who are potentially new friends, and a roommate, another potential friend, and get to go to dorm parties and have breakfast and lunch and dinner with your friends and don't have to – sorry, I talk a lot, but you can probably already tell and –'

'My rooms number 36.' Nick supplied, anxious to stop the incessant talking, as it was giving him a headache trying to keep up.

'Really? That is so awesome! That's my dorm room! We get to be roommates, and get to have movie nights and dance parties and become really good friends and I can introduce you to everyone and you can join the Warblers – they are our school choir and they are awesome – if you can sing of course, and if you can't I can teach you, and... Nick? Are you ok?'

_'Singing's for gays, fag, so I suppose you fit in. They're all losers in that club anyway.' Jack sneered, and his friends around him laughed._

_'Please, just – just let me be.' Nick whimpered._

_'What, so you can infect us all with your fagginess? Not a chance.' The blow to his abdomen knocked the air out of him, and suddenly there were hands and feet everywhere. Someone punched him in the face, pain spread all along his nose (it was broken for sure) and left cheek, and then kicks – quite a lot of them – were sent to his crotch. The pain spread all along his body, reaching places he never knew existed, and suddenly something hard and cold hit the back of his head – _the ground –_ and his vision blurred. He could hear everything; the cruel laughter from Jack and the rest of the jocks, his own gasps and moans that accompanied each and every strike, the grunts the jocks emitted from the force of their own hits, and the sound of hard shoes and fists hitting his soft flesh. There were black spots on his vision, and his breath was growing shorter with each second –_

'Nick? Nick!' Jeff's voice brought him out of his flashback, and one look at Jeff's suddenly pale face told him he'd been out of it for a few minutes at the very least.

'I – I'm sorry, j – just a bit tired.' Nick faked a yawn, although he could tell Jeff could see through him.

'Oo-k then, lets get you to your – our – dorm, and then I can give you a quick tour of the school so you can rest that sleepy head and be all ready for school tomorrow. Oh, maybe we share some classes! Then we could be partners in class, and I could make sure you get everywhere on-time, and we could help each other with homework – I don't really understand math, do you? You could help me, and I could help you with some other subject that you have trouble with, just not math cause I suck at it, and...' Jeff rambled on, almost jogging to the dorms – he was _that_ excited, and Nick hurried to keep up. From what he could tell, Jeff was an excitable, joyous ball of energy, but also kind and sensitive. He also liked to talk. A lot.

Jeff and Nick weaved through crowds of people, hallways and corridors, across several expanses of grass and paved school ground before they reached number 36.

'Do you have a key?' Jeff asked Nick. 'I locked myself out this morning, I do that a lot. Normally I leave the window open so I can climb in, but I forgot to this morning. But then the Dean came to me and was all 'You have a new roommate Jeff, he's coming this afternoon, so you'd better behave yourself.' And so I decided I could go without access until you came, which was very hard as I didn't have access to my action figures – they're not dolls – and comics and it is impossible for me to live without them, and you did, come I mean, and now we're here, and – do you have a key?'

Nick almost burst out laughing just looking at Jeff's face, he looked so serious and worried even though half of what he'd just said – including his impression of the Dean – didn't make sense and was quite hilarious. Jeff was quite the goof-ball.

'Y – Yes. Yes I – I do have a – a key.' Nick managed to say, all the while trying to calm down and catch his breath.

'Thank god!' Jeff breathed, and that did Nick in, because the expression of relief that flooded Jeff's face at the thought of being reunited with his action figures and comics was so dramatic and exaggerated that Nick couldn't help himself. Jeff smiled slightly when Nick laughed, glad that some of the tension between them had been broken. As Jeff observed his roommate, he realised that he was very cute. And hot. The way his soft black hair would move whenever he talked or turned his head, and the way his hazel eyes shined with emotion, and when he was unsure or embarrassed he would blush, his pale skin tinting with pink, and would look at the ground and let his hair fall in his face, while he was confident about something he would puff out his chest and hold his head high was all very adorable and really sexy (you could say Jeff was a regular Sherlock Holmes, being able to tell all this after knowing Nick for only a measly 20 minutes). Jeff was openly bisexual, and he could instantly tell from the way Nick had been looking at him when they where on their way to the room that he was gay – or bisexual – but decided that right now, what he needed to do was become friends with Nick, and get to know him, before he let himself think about the giggling boy in-front of him in any way other than as a friend. And Nick was making that quite hard.

When Nick finally stopped laughing he reached into his pocket and drew out the key, which he then gave to Jeff, who proceeded to put the key in the door, turn it in the lock, reach for the handle and open the door, all in an overly-dramatic way, before waltzing inside and setting himself down on his bed. Nick pulled his suitcase through the doorway and observed the room before him. It was quite large, with two single beds on either side of the room, a desk next to a cupboard (which was double the size of his own at home, meaning it was probably for two people), two bed-side tables, both with 3 drawers and a yellowish-white coloured lamp. The walls were white with splotches of colour here and there (except for the door leading to the bathroom, which was made of plain white wood), there was a sitting area ('Don't ask me why,' Jeff said. 'They obviously thought it was a good idea when they built the place.') which was on a slightly lower level than the rest of the room, and in it was a green lounge with blue pillows, an orangey-red coffee table and an average sized TV. The window was facing East, and over-looked the school gardens, which were full of flowers (it looked like they had every kind imaginable) and trees, with different paths which lead their way through the greenery. The curtains were a dark purple with mini TARDISes spotted around, and tiny white stars, which would look real if it weren't for the fact that they didn't fit in any of the astronomical maps Nick had studied. It looked like someone had taken a very ordinary room and turned it into their own, and held a lot of personality. Some random objects (most likely Jeff's) were strewn around the room; uniforms, street clothes, boxers (Nick blushed and looked away, catching _Jeff_ blushing when he realised what Nick had been looking at), various text books and assignments, an empty packet of chips, a video game console accompanied by several video game cases, odds and ends and books. Lots of books. Nick did a double-take when he looked into one corner of the room; there were several piles of books, piled higher than he himself could reach. He estimated around 250 books were in that corner, and then around 68 on the built-in shelves near Jeff's bed. There was a pair of glasses on the bedside table along with a book, _A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning_.

'I hope you like the decorations. I had some help from a wannabe Broadway star/fashion designer/interior designer friend of mine – you'll meet him later – but it was mostly me, because, you see, we are allowed to decorate out rooms because when we move out they redo the whole room, paint and all, and so I obviously made the most of that. I like to read, as you can probably tell, so I have loads of books, but I can move them if they're trouble for you; although moving them would make trouble for _me_, but I don't mind so just tell me if –'

'No, it's fine, I like to read too. It's just... there are so many! Have you – have you read them all?' Jeff nodded, and Nick looked at him incredulously.

'I read them all last year. Well, except for the _Unfortunate Events_ series by Lemony Snicket, but I started that this morning.'

Nick just stood there, stunned that this boy had managed to read somewhere around 300 books in one year. From where he stood, he could see J.R.R Tolkien's _The Hobbit_, _The Lord of the Rings_ trilogy, Suzanne Collins' _The Hunger Games_ trilogy and series _The Inheritance Cycle_ by Christopher Paolini, all of which it would have at least taken him a couple of weeks to finish, but this boy had managed to finish them and heaps more in _one year_. That was insane! When Nick finally composed himself, he set his suitcase down by the empty bed and flopped down, too tired to be bothered to put his clothes and the few personal items he had away, and ready to just _sleep_, when Jeff spoke up.

'Nick, the Dean told me to take you on a tour of the school and –' He broke off when Nick glared at him, angry that he interrupted his peace and was talking about something which was the opposite of resting. 'I think that we should just skip the tour for now and get some rest.' He finished hastily, not wanting to get off on the wrong foot with his new roommate.

'Have you had dinner yet?' Nick nodded. 'Do you need me to get anything or do anything for you? I don't normally go to sleep for another –' He broke off, looking at the red egg-shaped alarm on his bedside table. _8:36_. 'Hour or so, so if you don't need anything I'll just change and read. The kitchen, if you are hungry, is on the first floor, second door on the right, but there is a mini fridge in here which I filled with chocolate and fizzy drink so you can get food from that if you want. The bathroom's through that door, which I'm pointing to, and if you open your eyes for just a second you would be able to see it. There is a sink, shower and toilet, and –' He stopped himself, looking over to Nick. The boy was breathing deeply, and showed no signs of conciousness. Jeff giggled – he must have been rambling so much that Nick just drifted off. He walked over to the door and flicked the light-switch, before turning his lamp on. He changed into a soft Dalton Academy Warblers shirt which once belonged to his older brother, and a pair of sweatpants, before picking up his book, placing his reading glasses on his nose and burying himself in the adventures of Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire. Just before falling asleep, he thought of the boy in the bed next to him, who was slowly – but surely – stealing his heart, without knowing it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, so sorry it took so long, just with all the work I needed done I couldn't update or begin to write an update. Hope you like it!**

**P.S. Nick comes after Kurt in this one, as I wanted Kurt to be one of his good friends.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or anything you may recognise.**

**Chapter 2**

_I think I've finally had enough, I think I maybe think too much  
I think this might be it for us (blow me one last kiss)  
You think I'm just too serious, I think you're full of shit  
My head is spinning so (blow me one last kiss)_

'Ughhh...' Nick groaned, groping around his bedside table to try and turn his phone alarm off. He was in the middle of the best dream _ever_. It involved a certain blonde-haired green-blue eyed boy and a bed with _very_ soft sheets. Shaking his head to clear it of morning fog, he sits up, feeling the blankets slip off his body, and he realises, from the lack of coldness, that he fell asleep in his clothes. Nick stands and stretches, waking the rest of his body from slumber. Looking at the bed next to his own, he sees that Jeff fell asleep with his reading glasses on and _damn_, he never thought that he had a kink for glasses but on that boy they look hot! He looks at the time – 6:30 – and decides to wake Jeff up, seeing as they only have about an hour before classes start. Reaching over, Nick shakes Jeff by the shoulders, but when that had no effect he starts saying his name – 'Jeff... Jeff... JEFF!' – and Jeff's eyes blink open – _slowly__._

'Hiiiiii Nickkk,' He slurs. 'Why are ya wakin' me up for?'

Nick giggles at Jeff. He looks and sounds adorable, what with the slurred and incoherent words and bed-head which he obviously doesn't know he sports, otherwise he would be going crazy – Jeff had rambled about how 'awesome' and 'good looking' his hair was the other day.

'We have approximately an hour before school starts, I just thought you would want to have time to get dressed and have breakfast before classes.' Jeff smiled at him, looking grateful, and Nick swears he felt his heart stop. He's probably thought this before, but is it possible to fall in love so quickly?

'Thank you. I normally sleep through my alarm and am late for class or miss out on breakfast or forget my pants – happened before, and the weird thing was that I had put my shoes on – or something and get in trouble for _indecent exposure_... I'm rambling aren't I?' Nick nods his head. 'Ok. So, basically, thank you for waking me up and... could you maybe do it again? Again as in until I die as I am probably going to sleep through every alarm in my entire life – I'm a deep sleeper as you can tell – and... Good morning.'

Nick blinks at him, not entirely sure as to where the sudden greeting came from, but returns it anyway. He gets up and reaches into his suitcase, bringing out the plastic bag which contains his uniform – the one he's going to be wearing for the next 3 years. Retrieving it from the plastic bag, he starts making his way towards the bathroom.

'You don't have to change in there you know. We're both guys here – aren't we?' Nick turns around and – sure enough – Jeff is looking at him questioningly, glancing downwards every once-in-a-while.

Blushing he replies. 'Of course we are! I just – I'm kinda –' He figures this is probably the best time to say it, if he's going to be sharing a room with this boy for the rest of his high school career. 'I'm kinda self-conscious and – also... I'm gay.' He mumbles the last part, and looks at the ground, not ready to be rejected on his second day of school and by the nicest person he's met in a while. What he doesn't expect is to feel the warmth of a body wrapped around him.

Nick looks up and sees Jeff smiling down at him, before releasing him from the brief but comforting hug and motioning for him to sit down on the bed.

'You know, I'm not homophobic. There aren't many homophobes at this school, and those who are often keep their opinions to themselves and aren't liked by many. I'll be here for you if you need support, and I won't tell anyone if you don't want. I'm planning on introducing you to my friends and none of them are even _remotely_ homophobic; about one-third of them are gay anyway. Oh,' He calls over his shoulder, as in the time he was talking he had gotten up, getting ready for a short shower. 'By the way, Nick, I'm bi-sexual. Out and proud! _No matter gay, straight or bi. Lesbian, transgendered life. I'm on the right track baby. I was born to survive!_'

Nick laughs, before he registers exactly what Jeff had just said. He's _bi-sexual_. Maybe a relationship wouldn't be so impossible, but – wait, where are these thoughts coming from? Yeah, maybe Jeff is hot, and kind, and funny and – yeah, you get the picture, but Nick's only know him for a day, he can't seriously _already _be considering a relationship with him. Can he? Quickly getting ready and glancing at the clock – 7:00 – _shit_, they wasted – well, not really _wasted _– half an hour, he knocks on the bathroom door, informing Jeff that he'll meet him at breakfast and that if he doesn't get there in time he'll get him something to eat, before rushing out the door and down the corridor towards what he assumes is the dining hall, judging from the smell of food wafting through the building.

* * *

Nick arrives, slightly breathless, and makes his way towards the line, picking up a tray for his food. He gets the last pancake, and picks up an apple, a muffin and a coffee, before turning around and realising that he has no idea where to sit. Just then, he notices Jeff walking through the door, and approaches him. Hair still dripping from his shower, Jeff picks up a tray and loads it with cereal, muffins, yoghurt – anything he can get his hands on really – and then groans when he realises that there are no more pancakes. Nick approaches him and starts talking, but he doesn't really listen as _pancake alert_, Nick has a pancake. Nick catches him eyeing his pancake and is amused, before offering Jeff his pancake.

'Really? Oh my god, you are a lifesaver! An angel! A –'

'Ok, ok, I get it. Here –' He plonks the pancake down on Jeff's tray, before gesturing to the room behind him. 'Where do you normally sit, because I have no idea who your friends are or what they look like and I'm kinda lost.' A fleeting thought enters Nicks head, making him realise that he has only known this boy for two days, yet he feels more comfortable with him than he does his own family, but pushes it away, because that is a good thing, right?

'Follow me.' Jeff assumes a military-like posture, before striding towards the back of the room and sitting down next to an Asian boy, shooing the boy over and encouraging Nick to sit next to him.

'Guys, meet Nick.' Jeff says when Nick tentatively sits down on the bench. 'Nick, meet Wes,' He points to the Asian boy. 'David,' The dark-skinned boy sitting next to Wes, with very white teeth. 'Trent,' A boy with brown hair, green eyes and a warm smile.'Blaine,' A fairly good-looking boy, with gelled brown hair and hazel eyes. 'Kurt,' The ivory skinned boy sitting next to Blaine, with perfectly coiffed hair and an immaculate uniform. 'Flint,' A very tall boy with short brown hair, who was looming over him. 'And Thad.' Jeff points to a brown-haired – why does everyone at this table, excluding Jeff, have brown or black hair? – Hispanic boy, who was staring at Flint with a dreamy expression on his face.

'Thad? Thad, stop staring at Flint and say hello to my roommate.' The boy snaps out of it, flushing, and gives Nick a little wave, before glaring at Jeff.

'I was _not_ staring at _anybody_, Jeff.' Thad bites back, though it is quite weak and it seems no-one believes him, with the exception of Flint.

'Yeah dude, why would Thad be staring at me? I mean, we're close, but not _that_ close.' Flint looks around at everyone's disbelieving faces, puzzled.

'As you can probably tell,' Jeff whispers to Nick. 'Flint is... not the sharpest tool in the box. He's generally good at everything, just not people or feelings.'

For a split second, Thad looked slightly hurt and disheartened, but he replaced it with a bright smile, before clapping Flint on the back and gesturing for him to sit. Flint complied, and turned to Nick.

'So, dude, where'd you come from? You know, not many people who go here are actually from nearby.'

'Uh, actually, I, um, come from, er, Lima. Ohio.' Nick spluttered, caught off guard, as he didn't really like talking about his hometown.

'Hey, that's just 'round the corner! Not the, uh, _ideal_ place for someone who's - I mean, in your situation, I suppose.' Jeff managed to cover up his mistake just in time, though Nick didn't know if anyone had noticed.

'What do you mean, someone in your situation? Nick?' Everyone turned to face Nick at Blaine's question, and Nick looked at Jeff franticly.

'Can we have a moment, boys?' Jeff asked, and stood up from the table, pulling Nick with him. Walking out of the hall, Nick found himself alone in a hallway with Jeff.

'Jeff, I –'

'Shhh, Nick, just let me talk. I understand you are worried about telling them, but you shouldn't. Blaine, Kurt and Trent are all gay, Flint is bi and I'm pretty sure Thad is too. Wes and David have been friends with Blaine and Trent for as long as anyone can remember, and claim to have known they were gay ever since. There is no way you would get rejected or insulted or _anything_, they are probably the most accepting group of teenage boys in all of Ohio. If you still don't want to tell them, fine, I'll respect your privacy, but it will probably be better if you do, because then they can support you and you won't feel like you're hiding this big secret for the rest of your life.'

When Jeff finished his rant, he realised that he was looking at the ceiling, and lowered his eyes to look at Nick. To his surprise, Nick looked... relieved. A little shocked at the rant, but relieved.

'A – a – I'm sorry. I just – just haven't had a g – good experience with coming out.' Jeff just nodded dumbly, because Nick was biting his lip in a way that was _very_ distracting.

'Come on, then. Lets go back in.' On impulse, he took Nicks hand and led him back into the room, before heading back to the table of slightly confused young men.

They sat in silence for a little while, before Kurt broke it with his melodic voice.

'I think I speak for everyone when I ask, what was _that?_'

Deciding that now was the time to do it, Nick spoke up before Jeff could open his mouth to say anything.

'Basically, I'm gay. I was worried about telling you in case you did something to me, which was kind of stupid seeing as one, this school had a zero-tolerance bullying policy and two, half of you are gay, so Jeff talked to me and convinced me that nothing bad was going to happen and, in the long run, things would be better for me.'

Everyone stared at Nick in shock, as that was the most they had heard him say, before they all smiled warmly at him.

'Well, Jeff got that right. We won't look at you any differently just because you're gay, Nick, and if you ever need help or support we're here for you. After all, we are your new family now!' David exclaimed cheerfully, before nudging Wes and whispering something in his ear.

'You know Nick,' Wes started. 'We are having tryouts for our show choir the Warblers on Thursday. Are you interested?'

Nick thought for a second, remembering that show choir had been what started everything at his old school, and then nodded. Time to replace those bad memories with good ones, he thought.

'Excellent. Jeff can help you with your song selection and arrangement, as he's a member too and absolutely killed his audition. Now –' Wes was cut off by the bell ringing to signal that breakfast was over, and all the boys rushed to empty their trays and avoid being late for class.

Jeff took Nicks timetable, let out a gasp, and handed it back to Nick, all in a matter of seconds.

'We have share 4 classes, isn't that great!' He cried in answer to Nicks questioning look, before grabbing him and pulling him through the crowd of teenage boys. Once they arrived at the classroom, the teacher turned and greeted them, before introducing Nick to the class. Unlike his old school, the students actually acknowledged him, smiled and introduced themselves, one even gave him a once-over. _Now this is something I could get used to_, Nick thought as he sat down in a desk next to Jeff's. _Definitely._

**The lyrics used were from P!nk's _Blow Me One Last Kiss_, and Lady Gaga's _Born This Way_.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry this is so late, I just got distracted. Then I started working on something which I soon realised wouldn't fit in at this point in the story, so I am sorry, but at least it means that I have that part done already. Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or anything you may recognise.**

**Chapter 3**

'Attention Warblers. We have a new potential member today, so would you please direct your attention to Nick Duval, who shall be auditioning for a position as a Warbler today.' Wes commanded with a bang of his gavel. 'Nick.' He motioned for Nick to stand.

'Uh... hi. My name is Nick Duval, as you know, and... I am 'auditioning',' He mocked with finger quotes. 'For a spot as a Warbler, as you also already know. Sooooo... I guess I'll start.'

Rather awkwardly, Nick stumbled over to the piano, where he – quite ungracefully – took a seat. Choosing this song had not been hard for him, as it was the perfect song for him when he had been being bullied at his old school, it suited his vocal range and, most importantly, Jeff had approved of it and requested him to sing it for him rather enthusiastically. As he set himself up to play, he felt his nerves from before – the ones Jeff had banished for a while with all his gushing over Nicks voice – return with full force. Nick stilled, realising that by going through with this he could very well be making a complete and utter fool of himself, and was about to turn around and make up some excuse to get himself out of this situation when he felt a warm, firm yet comforting pressure on his shoulder, and looked up to see beautiful green-blue eyes (he gave up a few days ago of trying to deny the attraction he had to his roommate) looking back at him. The owner of said eyes pushed him slightly, urging him to stand up, and when he complied they took his place at the piano.

'Easier to sing standing than sitting down,' Jeff explained. 'You want them to hear the full extent of the sheer beauty of your voice, do you not?' Nick could only nod, and on the count of three the melody came flowing from the piano.

Nick looked around, and saw many of the Warblers perk up in interest, no doubt they had never heard this song with only piano accompaniment. On his cue, despite all the nerves and the kaleidoscope of butterflies which have apparently taken up residence in his stomach, he began to sing.

_After all that you put me through,_

_You think I'd despise you,_

_But in the end I wanna thank you,_

_'Cause you've made me that much stronger_

Most of the Warblers looked on with awe and delight, as they could already tell that this boy's voice was – for lack of a better word – amazing, and that he would certainly be a good addition to the group, though they had yet to hear him sing properly.

_Well I thought I knew you, thinkin' that you were true_

_Guess I, I couldn't trust called your bluff time is up_

_'Cause I've had enough_

_You were there by my side, always down for the ride_

_But your joy ride just came down in flames 'cause your greed sold me out in shame_

He was really getting into the song now, most of his nerves had dissipated from the looks of approval and wonder flashing across his fellow Warblers – he was pretty sure he was now guaranteed a position – faces.

_After all of the stealing and cheating you probably think that I hold resentment for you_

_But uh uh, oh no, you're wrong_

_'Cause if it wasn't for all that you tried to do, I wouldn't know_

_Just how capable I am to pull through_

_So I wanna say thank you_

_'Cause it_

_Makes me that much stronger_

_Makes me work a little bit harder_

_It makes me that much wiser_

_So thanks for making me a fighter_

_Made me learn a little bit faster_

_Made my skin a little bit thicker_

_Makes me that much smarter_

_So thanks for making me a fighter_

Nick hadn't been sure as to whether he should make a cut in the song, or just leave it as it was, so he asked Jeff for help and he said to cut out one or two of the verses as a) it would mean that he would find out if he had gotten in faster, b) Warbler practise tends to be quite long and they wouldn't have time for all of Wes' routines and speeches and reprimands etc. etc. and c) no-one would be able to grow tired of the song.

_'Cause if it wasn't for all of your torture_

_I wouldn't know how to be this way now and never back down_

_So I wanna say thank you_

_'Cause it_

_Makes me that much stronger_

_Makes me work a little bit harder_

_It makes me that much wiser_

_So thanks for making me a fighter_

_Made me learn a little bit faster_

_Made my skin a little bit thicker_

_Makes me that much smarter_

_So thanks for making me a fighter_

Now came Nicks favourite part, as it represented exactly how he felt about a person in his life who had put him through hell, even though he – used to – trust them with his _life_.

_How could this man I thought I knew_

_Turn out to be unjust so cruel_

_Could only see the good in you_

_Pretend not to see the truth_

_You tried to hide your lies, disguise yourself_

_Through living in denial_

_But in the end you'll see_

_You. Won't. Stop. Me!_

A bunch of the Warblers had joined in, providing backing harmonies, which gave Nicks confidence a large boost, and he threw himself – almost literally – into the performance.

_I am a fighter and I_

_I ain't gonna stop_

_There is no turning back_

_I've had enough_

The Warblers starting singing the chorus, so Nick could regain his breath and composure, before putting all his emotion and effort into the finish.

_You thought I would forget_

_But I remembered_

_'Cause I remembered_

_I remembered_

_You thought I would forget_

_I remembered_

_'Cause I remembered_

_I remembered_

_Makes me that much stronger_

_Makes me work a little bit harder_

_It makes me that much wiser_

_So thanks for making me a fighter_

_Made me learn a little bit faster_

_Made my skin a little bit thicker_

_Makes me that much smarter_

_So thanks for making me a fighter_

Out of breath, Nick collapsed onto the nearest couch, while everyone around applauded and cheered and whooped, clearly having thoroughly enjoyed his performance. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up to see Jeff grinning down at him. He shifted over to give Jeff space to sit, and as he did, Jeff put an arm – casually, friendly, brotherly – around his shoulders and gave him a squeeze.

'Well?' Jeff looked at Wes. 'Do we even have to vote? I think it is quite clear what the verdict is.'

Wes banged his gavel, lifted it up and checked to make sure there were no scratches (he had banged it rather loudly, and Wes was very protective of his gavel) and announced that they had a new member. David wrote it down in the official minutes, then started doodling – Wes may take the minutes very seriously, but David figured that once you had all the information down it was basically the same as a work book or a text book (perfect for doodling) – pictures of Pavarotti, then of Kurt and Blaine, then of Wes kissing his gavel, then of the gavel being smashed, then of random objects he could see throughout the room being smashed, before he felt something hard hit him in the back of the head and looked up to see Wes glaring at him, gavel in hand.

Wes leant over towards him, looking quite menacing, and growled lowly in his ear.

'Do not ever, and I mean ever, draw degrading or dangerous pictures of Gavel (he said it like a name). While we may be best friends, I shall not hesitate in murdering you if anything does happen to her – I mean, it. Understood?' David hastily nodded his head, nodding so forcefully it look like it was about to come flying off, and Wes returned to his former position.

'Alright, lets get this rehearsal started. Blaine, I believe you had some ideas for our new dance routine – please don't say anything that has to do with jumping on furniture.' Blaine opened and shut his mouth, blushing and sinking back into his seat, an awkward look between embarrassment and dejection accompanied by a pout resting upon his face. Nick saw Kurt put his hand over Blaine's and give him a sympathetic look, and heard a few sniggers from various parts of the room.

'Those two are completely in love with each other,' He feels Jeff's hot breath on the side of his neck, making his hairs stand on end. 'But are each absolutely oblivious to the feelings of the other.'

'Anyone else have any ideas?' Wes asked the room, and was immediately flooded with suggestions and ideas from many Warblers who seemed very eager to give their opinion. Starting to feel slightly neglected, though that feeling was inferior compared to the overwhelming joy he felt at being accepted – actually _accepted_ – into a group who didn't care what his sexuality was, Nick sunk back into the couch, planning on watching the events unfolding before his eyes, forgetting Jeff's arm around him. So, obviously, he was surprised when he felt something tighten around his shoulders. Jeff poked him in the side, explaining to him that this was relatively normal, and he should just ignore the shouts of 'But skinny jeans are so _in _this season!' and 'But chicks dig rock!' and 'The furniture are inanimate objects! How can jumping on them hurt them?' and wait for everyone to calm down.


	4. Chapter 4, Part 1

**A/N: Ok, so ****KurtHummelsClothes is completely my own, and I know that there actually is a website for Kurt's clothes, but I didn't want to use that one (if you're wondering, it's ****Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or anything you may recognise.**

**P.S. I don't think I said that the song I used in the previous chapter was **_**Fighter**_** by Christina Aguilera (I'm too lazy to check). And the outfit Kurt is describing is the one he wears when Blaine proposes. And Mark is right about the cigarette remark, I looked it up in a dictionary. I wonder why homophobic people call homosexual people cigarettes, it seems stupid to me.**

**Chapter 4**

'Oh my gaga, she said _what_?' Over the past few weeks, Nick and Kurt had become really good friends. They shared basically everything, and quite a few people thought that they were going out – much to their chagrin – because, when Kurt wasn't with Blaine and Nick wasn't with Jeff, they were with each other. Nick found that Kurt moisturised every morning and afternoon, was obsessed with musicals and Judy Garland, was a very healthy eater, had an _ah-mazing_ fashion sense, loves Lady Gaga (hence the phrase, _oh my gaga_) and was absolutely, totally, head-over-heals in love with Blaine Anderson. He discovered that Kurt had, like him, been bullied at his old school, and had transferred to Dalton Academy after meeting Blaine at a LGBT convention for bullied teenagers. Kurt's mother had died when he was eight from heart cancer, and he was raised by his dad, Burt _(Kurt and Burt, _Nick thought. _Ironic_). He currently has a stepmother named Carole; who he describes as one of his closest friends with whom he can share all his secrets, and who doesn't want to take over as Kurt's mother but wants to be a 'motherly figure' in Kurt's life, and a step-brother called Finn, who Kurt used to have a crush on, is a jock and obsessed with Halo and COD, and who is apparently freakishly tall.

Kurt, being the more observant of the two, discovered that when Nick was embarrassed he would look down, his black bangs effectively concealing his flushed face, and when he was lying or felt nervous he would twiddle his thumbs or rub his arms or play with his hair and wouldn't look anyone in the eyes when he was speaking to them. Nick is an only child, his favourite colour was green, he has always wanted to get a blue or green streak in his hair but never got around to it, he potty-trained himself (Kurt doesn't know how _that_ came up), absolutely _adores_ the Beatles and – you guessed it – Christina Aguilera. He found that the first time Nick had gone to a pride parade he had been crushed between a woman who was basically topless and mistook him for a girl, because he had been long overdue for a haircut, and who groped him until she realised he had no breasts, and a man who was approximately 200 pounds overweight and smelt like beer and B.O and if Nick didn't stand up on his tiptoes his face would have been smushed against his butt. Needless to say, Nick hasn't been back to _any_ form of a parade since. While observing him eat – Kurt likes to observe what people eat because he is kinda a health nut, and even sometimes calls himself one –, Kurt figured out that Nick loves coffee with lots of sugar, hates tomatoes (they were eating salad, obviously seeing as it's _Kurt_) and prefers strawberries over all the other fruits. He also noticed that Nick could be a little bit paranoid, as he kept on glancing to the door of the Lima Bean every time someone walked in (the doorbell would make a _ping_ noise) and breath a barely audible sigh of relief every time.

'She _so_ did! She was like, uh, there is _no _way that purple goes with blue, cause their like, opposites.' Nick spoke in a very nasally voice, trying to recreate the sound of the girl who was trying to tell him what to wear to his middle school's graduation.

'Well she is wrong, because if you look at I have an outfit – which is one of my favourites, by the way, and it is for special occasions only – which consists of a bright blue blazer and purple dress shirt, with a collar of course, as well as bright blue dress pants, and it. Looks. Amazing.' Kurt pronounced the last three words very clearly, and was looking at Nick with such a serious expression that he could help but laugh, earning him one of Kurt Hummel's famous bitch glares.

'Soooooo,' Kurt started off, a mischievous look making its way onto his face. 'Any blonde-haired, blue-green eyed boys take your interest lately.' His glazs eyes sparkled with mirth as Nick choked on his coffee, taken aback by the unexpected question.

'Wh – what!' Nick tried to regain his regular breathing after managing to stop coughing, but when he did one look at Kurt's face had him wishing that he had choked there and then.

'Come on. Don't think I haven't noticed how you are always looking at him, or talking to him, or sitting with him, or talking about him, or staring and talking about him and so on and so forth. You have a crush on him! Or are attracted to him at the least, that I can understand.' Nick's face goes red at his last comment, and when Kurt still persists he finally breaks.

'Ok ok, if I tell you just – just please don't tell _anyone_, please?' Nick gives Kurt his best puppy dog eyes, and Kurt finds himself nodding his head, because even though he is a gossip diva he is the best person you can ever find at keeping secrets (hint: he sometimes talks to his clothes and Pavarotti), mainly because he understands the need and urgency for keeping peoples trust.

Looking around him once to make sure no-one was listening, Nick starts.

'Honestly, I don't know. Sure, he's hot (here he blushes), but it is really confusing, because the last time I had a crush on someone it didn't go well – for them, I mean, and I've developed an ability to, uh, conceal my innermost feelings, if you like.'

Kurt cocked his head, and Nick knew what was coming.

'What do you mean by that?'

Nick sighed, and decided that, well, now is better than never.

'Back in 7th grade, near the end of the year, there was this new transfer called Mark...'

_Nick was pulling the text books he needed for his English class when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Turning around, he could of sworn his heart momentarily stopped, because standing before him was the hottest guy he had ever seen. He had red hair, which was slightly curly and rested on his forehead, freckles dotted across his ivory skin, deep, green eyes and was a few inches taller than Nick. He was wearing wide-framed glasses, and had a lavender coloured button-down on – which really brought out his eyes – paired with dark jeans and black sneakers._

_'Umm... hi. I'm new here, and I was wondering where the 7th grade AP English class is?' His voice was silky smooth and deep, and on top of that he was smart – not many people made it into AP English, and Nick was one of the small majority of them who did. Snapping out of his trance, Nick realised that he hadn't answered and the boy was becoming a bit uncomfortable._

_'S – sorry. Uh, I'm just going there myself, so you could –' He never finished his sentence, because at that moment one of the jocks had decided to smash him into a locker._

_'Fag.' They spat as they walked away, high-fiving each other for a job well done._

_'Are you ok?' Nick looked up to see the red-head bending down and looking at him with concern._

_'Yeah, I'm used to it.' Accepting the hand offered to him, he pulled himself up and looked at the boy. 'So, I'm guessing you either didn't hear what that guy said, or you just don't want to be rude even though you would like to run away from me like I have the plague.'_

_'What? Oh, you mean when he called you a... no, man, I don't really care. I mean, my older sister's lesbian, so...' Nick looked at the boy in surprise, wondering how a hot guy who was probably a jock at his old school could be so open-minded._

_Deciding that they could only keep this conversation up (and maybe become friends) if they knew each others names, Nick extended his hand and introduced himself. 'I'm Nick.'_

_'Mark.' They shook hands, and then, gesturing for Mark to follow, Nick headed in the direction of the classroom._

_'You probably don't want to walk next to me, as everyone will assume you're gay or my boyfriend and then – well, lets just say you won't have a very nice year, or very many friends here.' Nick warned Mark, not wanting anyone else to be bullied because of himself._

_Mark just shrugged, saying that he didn't really care, seeing as he didn't want friends who were homophobic._

'He sounds really nice.' Kurt remarked in the pause, thinking that Mark reminded him a little of Finn, except for the fact that Finn actually used to bully him a little and wasn't as homophobic-free as Mark seems to be.

'He was. What happened... it wasn't his fault. And he was the one who got hurt the most.' Nick replied uneasily, as Kurt was the first person he had told (or in this case, was in the process of informing) about this, but he trusted Kurt and knew he wouldn't go around telling people other peoples secrets.

'About a month went by, and we became pretty good friends – we joined our schools Glee club, Vocal Adrenaline – yes, I know you know them – together, and didn't really talk to people who weren't the other – except for when we got bullied...'

_'Oomph.' Nick spluttered as he got shoved into a locker, Mark following to make sure he was ok._

_'Fags.' The bully spat as he walked away._

_'Hey! You!' The guy – Jake was his name – turned around when he heard Mark's voice. 'Why'd you call us cigarettes? You do know that's what a fag is, right? A cigarette.'_

_'Oh yeah? How d'you know that?' Jake was walking menacingly towards them, glaring at Mark. Nick looked at Mark frantically, wishing for him to take back what he had said so they wouldn't get harassed anymore than they had already, but no such luck._

_'Oh, you know, I learnt it the way _smart_ people do. I looked it up in the dictionary.' Mark sneered, mocking Jake. Jake seemed to be deep in thought about something (what a surprise, he thinks) and Nick realised that currently, they were the only ones left in the corridor. He also realised that Jake must know this, and was considering what he should do to Mark – or more likely them – for revenge on that comment. To his surprise, Jake just turned on his heels and walked away, calling over his shoulder 'Later, homos.'_

_'What the hell were you thinking?' Nick hissed at Mark as soon as the jock was gone. 'I don't know what just happened, but there was a 99% chance that he would have beaten us both up because of what you said to him! Why in the world would you even _think_ of talking back?'_

_'Oh, I don't know, because I don't like being pushed around?!' Mark looked furious, and Nick was suddenly aware that a) Mark was bigger than him and b) he can be _really_ scary. 'Look, Nick, I understand why you would be worried, but enough is enough and I'm not going to let them bully me or you anymore. You are my closest friend and if it was just me, then sure, I'd leave them alone, but not you. You have done nothing wrong, you didn't want to be gay, you have done _nothing_ to deserve being treated like this, and just because I hang out with you I get treated in a similar way, though not as bad. It is not fair, and I will not stand for it.'_

_In that moment, Nick was sure that he was falling – hard – for this boy. Mark was strong, protective, kind, passionate, smart, gorgeous, everything Nick had ever wished for. He knew that there was probably no chance for them, as he was pretty sure that Mark was straight, but that didn't deter him. Nick realised that he was determined to make this work out, no matter what, even if it meant being bullied harder and more often than before._

'I was kinda stupid. I should have just stopped there, realising that if I, in any way, even remotely _implied_ that Mark was gay, the bullying would reach it's peak and then, well, who knew what would happen? At that moment in time, people just accused Mark of being gay so they would have a reason to bully him, but no-one actually _believed_ that he was. He wasn't the stereotypical straight boy, but he also wasn't the stereotypical gay boy. He was just... himself, and that was what I admired most about him. He wasn't – wasn't afrai – afraid to b – be himself.' Nick found himself choking up, remembering his old friend, and just how plain _amazing_ he was. Regaining his composure, he gave Kurt's worried look a reassuring smile, before continuing with his story.

'Well, a few weeks past, and Mark was pretty sure that Jake had just forgotten the _incident_, as I had taken to calling it, but I wasn't convinced. I had this – this paranoia, that something was going to happen, and that Jake was just waiting for the right time to strike...'

**Ok, so this went on for longer than I thought, and I decided to make it a two-part chapter, otherwise I would never get around to updating. Just so you know, I really appreciate reviews and try my hardest to reply to everyone. Thank you!**


	5. Chapter 4, Part 2

**A/N: So I am trying to update faster before the school rush starts and my updating happens preferably once a week. And thank you veronicalodge36 for informing me that in America, people wouldn't use the word 'fag' for a cigarette, but since I live in Australia I didn't know that. To fix my mistake, here is some back story; Mark's family has moved from England to America, and Jake is too dumb to realise Mark's mistake. Oh, and instead of them being in 7****th**** grade, I thought that it would be better if they were in 9****th****. Anyway, thank you and enjoy!**

**P.S. This chapter is longer than usual because I had to fit so much in.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or anything you may recognise.**

**Chapter 4 Part 2**

_'Well, a few weeks past, and Mark was pretty sure that Jake had just forgotten the incident, as I had taken to calling it, but I wasn't convinced. I had this – this paranoia, that something was going to happen, and that Jake was just waiting for the right time to strike...'_

_It was a dreary Friday afternoon, and Nick and Mark were walking together from their last class. They had just reached the big double-doors, when Mark stopped and turned to Nick. Lifting his head from where it had been reading the newest gay rights news on his phone, Nick shot an annoyed look at Mark (they were headed to the cinema to watch the newest _James Bond _movie) but, seeing the serious expression on his face, it immediately changed to concerned._

_'Mark? What's –'_

_'We need to talk. Like, right now.'_

_Nick nodded, looking around for somewhere to sit. There was a park just opposite the school, and there was no-one on the swings, so Nick motioned for Mark to follow him and headed towards them. Sitting down on the swings (which were a bit small for a teenager, but what the hell), Nick looked up at Mark expectantly. With a sigh, Mark started talking._

_'All my life, well, ever since I learnt the difference between straight and gay, I've been sure I was straight. I would stare at the hot girls, dream about making out with Scarlett Johansson, you know, what other straight guys do. And then I come here, and you just – just muck it all up! With your – your adorable little smiles, and tight jeans and cute eyes and – and I just don't know! I don't know how to deal with this, I don't know what to say, or what to do or – or – I'm just really confused! And – and as my friend I would really appreciate it if you helped me, because I am just – just so confused, and I really, _really_ need a friend right now – someone who wont judge me or push me into anything and who'll just – just _be _there for me. I mean, you're the _only_ guy I feel this – this way about, so I'm pretty sure I'm just – just, like NickDuvalsexual or something, I don't know. Just – just please, _help_ me.' Mark's voice broke near the end of his plea, and Nick's heart both swelled and broke at the same time. He was so happy – so so happy that his friend felt this way about him, it was all he could have wished for, but at the same time he was so upset at seeing his friend look so _broken_ and _confused_, it almost made him wish that Mark didn't feel that way about him at all._

_Nick, acting on pure instinct, stood up, took two steps towards Mark, and hugged him. He didn't offer words of comfort, or kiss him (no matter how much he wanted to), he just hugged him. It seemed to be exactly what Mark needed, as seconds later they were sitting on the mulch underneath the swings with Mark basically on Nick's lap sobbing, and Nick holding him and rubbing his back. They don't know how long they were there, but by the time they were driving home in their respective cars it was dark. Nick arrived home around 7:30, and the moment he walked in the door he was bombarded with questions by his parents – well, his mother – of where he had been and what he had been doing. He explained that Mark was having some emotional trouble and that he had been helping him, and his mother instantly became concerned for Mark, while his father just looked away and continued reading the newspaper which Nick had seen him reading that morning._

* * *

_Nick finally escaped to his room and he sat down on his bed intending to do his French homework, but was continually distracted from it by his worries about Mark. Was he coping better, now that he had come clean to Nick? Was he ok? Did he get home alright? Has he told his parents about how he feels? There were so many questions swimming around Nicks head that he decided to abandon his homework and call Mark before going to bed. Mark picked up on the third ring with a '_Hello, Mark Haddaway speaking._'_

_'Hey Mark. It's Nick.'_

_'_Oh. Uh, hi._'_

_'Yeah, uh, I just wanted to make sure you were, er, ok. You know, got home alright and all that.'_

_'_Uh, well, yeah. I did._'_

_They were both silent for a minute, before they both started talking._

_'About what y –'_

_'_I'm sorry fo –_'_

_'Ha. You can go first.'_

_'_No, it's fine. You can._'_

_'Ok. Well, about what you said today, you don't have to be sorry for it. We're friends, and we should be honest with each other, which is why I'm telling you this now. I like you. Not in the overly creepy way and the reason I became friends with you was to get in your pants, but in the more-than-friends way. I have for a while, but I didn't tell you because I didn't want you freaking out and ruining our friendship, because I value our friendship over everything else, and I didn't want it to come to an end. You were the first person – first guy – to learn that I was gay, and not care. You went through all that bullying and teasing and all those locker shoves and everything else just because you were my friend, and you didn't care what other people thought about you. For a while, I think it was probably, like, hero worship or whatever, but soon it – it turned into something more, and, I don't want to pressure you into anything but – but if you really do feel that way – if you really do like me back – then you don't have to worry about the feeling _not_ being mutual, 'cause it is.'_

_There was silence from the other side of the phone, and just as Nick was about to ask if Mark was still there, the person in question started talking._

_'_I – I don't know how I feel. I mean, I think I'm straight, you're the only guy I've – I've ever been attracted to, so I don't know what that classifies as, but – but I just –_'_ _He sighed, trying to find the right words to express how he was feeling. '_I – I like you. And I'm not – I'm not, like, ready for a – a relationship or anything, but I don't – don't care if we like – like tell the whole world that I like you, because I – I don't like hiding myself! If you want to, like, go and – and get coffee tom – tomorrow to – to sort this – this – to talk, I'd like that._' Nick had never heard Mark sound so upset and unsure, but he still was confident with himself and who he was, and that made Nick smile knowing that no matter what, Mark would never hide who he was from the world, regardless of what they would think of him when they found out._

_'Sure. If that's what you want, we can meet at the Lima Bean for coffee tomorrow morning.'_

_'_Yeah. Yeah. Maybe, at like, 10? 'Cause it's a Saturday and I'm not getting out of bed until 9:30, 9 the earliest._'_

_'Sure. I guess I'll – I'll see you then?'_

_'_Yeah. See you._' The line went dead, and Nick flopped down on his bed, not bothering to change into his pyjamas. _People shouldn't have to feel this way when they're 16, _Nick thought. _It feels too grown up.

* * *

_Looking across the table at Mark, who was sipping his coffee, Nick desperately tried to find something to say that would break the tense silence. Noticing Nick's inner struggle, Mark sighed. He had been plagued last night by thoughts about this scenario, about how it would go. One of his ideas ended up with him and Nick in the back-seat of his car making out, but he wasn't ready for that, and another ended up with Jake walking into the coffee shop and beating the crap out of them. Neither of them were ideal, and neither of them were rational, as the Lima Bean was miles away from school, and Nick has never been kissed, so there was a 0.01% chance of him making out with someone who wasn't even his boyfriend._

_'You know, we were supposed to meet up to talk, and for the past 5 minutes neither of us have said anything. Why does it have to be so awkward? It's not like we're different people or anything. And I'm not going to pretend last night never happened just because you want –'_

_'No, no, I'm sorry. And, I don't want to pretend last night never happened, because last night – it changes everything, for good and for bad.' Nick smiled at Mark, hoping that he'd get the message, and the soft smile he received in turn was answer enough. 'So, lets get down what we already know. #1 I like you, #2 You like me, #3 You're still a little confused about your feelings and #4 This isn't a coffee date. Wait, is that last part right?'_

_Mark let out a little laugh at the last one, which was Nick's way of trying to break the tension; with an attempt at flirting, which – if you weren't very close to him – could often sound very offensive. 'I don't know, maybe? I mean, if I'm to figure out my feelings, we're either going to have to go on dates or avoid each other for however long.'_

_'I think I'll go with the former. You know what? Let's just forget everything for a day. Let's forget that 90% of the population of Ohio is homophobic, let's forget all our worries and everything, just for a day. Tomorrow we can spend as much time as we like worrying and crying and feeling, but not today. We're going to go home, get changed into something nicer than plain shirts and trousers, and then I'm going to take you out to lunch. Well, actually a picnic at the park. Then we'll go to the movies and watch that movie you have been aching to watch, what was it? Ah, yes, _The Perks of Being a Wallflower_, and then we'll go to Breadstix and I'll buy you dinner. Or you'll buy dinner. Then I'm going to drive you home – we'll be taking my car because I don't trust your driving skills – and we'll kiss goodnight. Or hug. We'll figure it out when the time comes. Ok? Now shoo.' Nick stood up and walked out of the Lima Bean, before glancing behind him and seeing Mark still sitting at their booth, a small smile on his face. Oh, how Nick just wanted, with all his heart, to make that smile grow bigger and appear more often. Well, today he would finally get the chance._

* * *

_Everything went according to plan. Actually, it went better. No one stared at them, shot them disgusted looks, no one threw slurs at them or made any homophobic comments or anything. It was as if, that day, there were no homophobes around at all. Mark and Nick were walking, side-by-side, towards Nick's car, when Nick decided to make the first move (well, technically it was the 2__nd__, but who's counting?). He reached out and touched Mark's arm, and when Mark turned to him he slid his hand down Mark's arm and lightly gripped his hand. Mark looked down at their hands, before squeezing back and looking ahead in the hopes that Nick wouldn't spot his blush. They reached the car, which meant that Nick had to let go of Mark's hand, but the moment they were both settled in and had their belts on he took it again and, with some trouble, started the car and backed out. _

_The ride to Mark's house was made in silence, and when they reached Mark's three-storey mansion (as Nick liked to call it) Nick, being the gentleman he is, jumped out of the car and raced around to the other side to open Mark's door, earning himself an eye-roll from Mark. He then reached for Mark's hand (he really liked holding it) and walked him to his door. The tension between them then rose, as both of them recalled Nick's earlier words – _'we'll kiss goodnight. Or hug. We'll figure it out when the time comes.' – _and they both looked to the other to make the decision. As if with one mind, they both leant in at the same time, closing their eyes, but because of the angle they bumped noses and laughed, effectively breaking the tension. Mark then wrapped his arms around Nick's waist and pulled him into him, making Nick startle and almost fall on top of Mark._

_'I think we'll save that for when we are actually in a relationship, Nick.' Mark joked, and at that moment Nick leant in and captured his lips in a soft kiss. When they broke apart, they were both flushed, and Nick giggled at the look on Mark's face, which was one of wonder and astonishment, and rested his head on Mark's shoulder. They stayed in the embrace for a few minutes, before Nick pulled away, claiming that if he stayed any longer his parents (read: mother) would worry about him, and walked back to his car, looking the epitome of calmness and confidence, but really squealing like a teenage girl on the inside. Once Mark's house was out of sight, Nick pulled over and turned the radio on to drown out his squeals. 5 minutes later he was back on the road, and after another 10 minutes he was creeping up the stairs towards his bedroom, trying not to disturb his parents in the kitchen. He heard a door swing open, and turned around to see his father storming out of the house. Nick scurried to his room, not wanting to be caught up in the mess which was his parents relationship, and flopped down on his bed, falling asleep instantly, and dreaming about coffee dates and kisses with Mark._

* * *

'I'm sorry to interrupt, but how is this, in any way, a bad thing? Everything that has happened so far, except for the whole Jake fiasco, has gone pretty well.' Kurt looked slightly confused, which was not very Kurt-like as Kurt was one of the most confident and knowledgeable boys Nick knew.

'Shhh. You'll never know unless you listen. Now, the next day Mark called me, and said that he had figured that he liked me enough to ask me to be his boyfriend, which he did. And obviously, I said yes. He then said he wanted to come out at school, and while I was a little hesitant, I agreed, because it was his decision, not mine. As you can probably guess, people weren't very happy about it. The bullying – for both of us – got worse, more physical, and I could tell it was taking a toll on Mark. He had lost weight, was practically always tired and didn't talk as much as he used to...'

* * *

_'Hey, you.' Nick was leaning against the locker next to Mark's, and was watching him with loving eyes. Mark turned and smiled at him, before leaning in to place a soft kiss on his lips. The moment he did, however, he was slammed into his locker._

_'Fags.' Nick bent down and helped Mark up, keeping his arm around his waist._

_'Oh my god, I am so sorry. I should have known that was going to happen and –'_

_'No, it's ok. It was my fault.' Mark made to move out of Nick's embrace, but Nick tightened his grip, and pulled him into a hug, not caring who was watching._

_'Hey, no. Let's not blame it on anyone, except the homophobic neanderthals who attend this school, ok?' Mark nodded, resting his head on Nick's shoulder, and luckily, there were no jocks in sight._

_The rest of the day passed relatively peacefully, and by the end of the day Nick was in fairly good spirits. He had just kissed Mark goodbye, and was walking towards his car when he heard a scream. Racing back to where he had left Mark, he saw him lying on the ground, several jocks surrounding him, punching and kicking._

_'Hey! Stop! Leave him alone!' Running to where the group was, Nick tried to pry the jocks away from Mark, but they were to big and didn't budge. One of them grabbed him and held him down while another started punching him. The one that was holding him threw him to the ground, and he chanced a glance at his face. It was Jack, Jake's twin brother, and just possibly scarier and more dangerous than Jake. The other guy kicked his shoulder while yelling 'You disgusting fag! You deserve to go to hell!' The pain spread from his shoulder, towards his chest, and all of a sudden Nick forgot about Mark and could only focus on the sharp pain in his chest._

_'Hey, I know him. He's in the _Glee Club_.' Someone sneered, and that caught Jack's attention._

_'Singing's for gays, fag, so I suppose you fit in. They're all losers in that club anyway.' Jack sneered, and his friends around him laughed._

_'Please, just – just let me be.' Nick whimpered._

_'What, so you can infect us all with your fagginess? Not a chance.' The blow to his abdomen knocked the air out of him, and suddenly there were hands and feet everywhere. Someone punched him in the face, pain spread all along his nose (it was broken for sure) and left cheek, and then kicks – quite a lot of them – were sent to his crotch. The pain spread all along his body, reaching places he never knew existed, and suddenly something hard and cold hit the back of his head – _the ground _– and his vision blurred. He could hear everything; the cruel laughter from Jack and the rest of the jocks, his own gasps and moans that accompanied each and every strike, the grunts the jocks emitted from the force of their own hits, and the sound of hard shoes and fists hitting his soft flesh. There were black spots on his vision, and his breath was growing shorter with each second – and then there was a spine-chilling scream, followed by a sickening crack. But it hadn't come from Nick, and Nick remembered how he came by this situation in the first place._

_'Mark! What – what did you do...' Nick's vision was blurring, and he couldn't make a proper sentence without loosing his breath. 'Please... don't – don't hurt him...' And everything went black._

* * *

'The next thing I knew I was in hospital. Apparently one of the sophomores had stayed behind to get help on some assignment and had walked outside to find us both lying there unconscious. She called the police and the ambulance, and testified against the guys who beat us up in court because she had seen them 'escaping the crime scene' as she put it. I – I knew something was wrong when they told me Mark was in surgery, but I didn't know what. When he came out, I screamed and yelled and fought until they let me see him and – and sometimes I wish they hadn't given in.'

* * *

_Nick watched his boyfriend sleep with tears streaming down his face. Mark's skin was deathly pale, he was covered in casts and bruises and cuts and bandages, he still had some blood on his forehead, and a black eye. The doctors had said that he had 3 broken ribs, several fractures, a broken leg, and some internal damage which Nick wasn't quite sure about because 1) he doesn't understand heavy scientific language and 2) by the time the doctors got up to that part he was sobbing so hard he could barely hear what they were saying. Nick reached his hand over and pushed the curls which were sticking to Mark's forehead out of his eyes, and then grabbed Mark's hand, intertwining their fingers and willing him to wake up. One part of what they doctors had said which really worried him was this, '_He may not make it. Somehow, the people who did this managed to give him internal bleeding and a punctured lung, and, at this point in time, we are not sure that the surgery was able to fix that._' As if on cue, Mark's eyes fluttered open and caught sight of Nick. He frowned when he saw Nick's tear-stained face, and then winced because moving his facial muscles hurt a bit._

_'Hi.' Mark's voice was croaky from the lack of talking he had done in the past few – days? Weeks? 'How... how long... have I been out?'_

_'One week.' Nick managed, before he broke down in tears. Mark managed to pull him onto his chest, which hurt a little, but he didn't mind. They lay there for hours, just holding each other. A nurse came to take Nick away, and ended up having to give him a sedative because he didn't want to leave Mark's side. A few days past, and the results of Mark's surgery came through – it didn't work. Mark had a few more days at the most. For hours, Nick cried into his mothers arms, screaming about how it wasn't fair, how Mark didn't deserve to die, before his mother pulled him to Mark's room and set him down on the chair next to Mark's bed. For two days, Nick and Mark stayed together, talking, crying, laughing, reminiscing, holding each other, _kissing_, just being together. When the time came, Nick knew. Mark's eyes starting drooping, his grip on Nick's hand loosening, the machine that was monitoring his heart rate started slowing down._

_'Oh god, no, please – please don't go Mark. Please. I can't – I can't live without you. Please.' Nick sobbed brokenly, squeezing Mark's hand and pulling him into his arms. 'Please...'_

_'Hey. Don't cry.' Mark wiped Nick's tears away. 'Please, don't cry. For me? I want this to be – to be a celebration of all the time we had together. I want us both to be happy together, for one last time. Please?'_

_Nodding his head, Nick forced himself to stop crying. As the beeping of the monitor continued to slow down, Nick pressed his lips to Mark's. Pulling away, he looked into Mark's eyes and said something he should have said before._

_'I love you.' Mark smiled, and that was all the reassurance Nick needed to know he had done the right thing._

_'I love you too.' Nick leant down and pressed his lips to Mark's again, and looking back he wondered why none of the nurses who were looking after Mark had come in yet, but at that moment it was just him and Mark. He felt Mark smile against his lips, and the beeping became on long, continuous _beep_. Suddenly, there were nurses and doctors swarming around the room, and his mother was pulling him off Mark and to the far side of the room. Nick broke down in his mothers arms for the second time, as the doctors and nurses did everything they could to bring Mark back to life, even though they knew it was no use. After some time, they left, and someone came in to take Mark's body somewhere, but all Nick could do was cry while his mother held him, whispering to him that Mark was in a better place now, somewhere were no one could hurt him, and everyone would accept him, and that one day Nick and Mark would be together again. They attended Mark's funeral the next week, with Nick giving eulogy and braking down halfway through before Mark's mother came up, hugged him and finished his speech for him. The guys who beat them up were sent to juvie, and two of them, being of age, were sent to jail for homicide and assault. Nick transferred to Dalton at the end of the school year, as he wasn't able to walk through the halls of his old school without feeling that something was missing, and, when he realised that that something was Mark, breaking down on the spot._

* * *

'So, that is Mark's story. I'm sorry,' Nick noticed that, at some point during his story, he had started crying. 'Sorry, I didn't mean to cry.'

Kurt didn't reply, and when Nick looked up, he saw that Kurt was dabbing his face with a handkerchief. 'You have – have nothing to be – to be sorry for,' He hiccuped, trying to speak through his tears. 'That is – is the most – romantic and – and the sa – saddest story I – I have ever heard.'

Nick just nodded and wiped his eyes, before looking down and laughing. Kurt looked up at him questioningly, and Nick just gestured to their drinks.

'The coffee is cold. We must have talked for ages.' Nick looked at the time on his watch and 'Oh shit! We were supposed to meet Jeff, Wes, David and Blaine at the park before the movies an hour ago! I have, like, 7 missed calls and 20 text messages, and we have 10 minutes until the movie starts!' Picking up their belongings, the duo raced out the doors of the coffee shop and to Nick's car. Jumping in, Nick didn't even wait for Kurt to put his seatbelt on before pulling out of the lot, as the movie was _Man of Steel_ (which Kurt had reluctantly agreed to after Blaine gave him infamous puppy eyes and the promise of being able to choose the movie they saw next time) and they were _20 minutes away from the cinema._

**I cried writing this. I knew I had to, but I had fallen in love with Mark's character and really didn't want to see him go.**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: PhoebeGleek: As requested, Niff. Please note that the next update for any of my stories will probably happen in about a week, sometime around Saturday or Sunday, as I will not have time available work on the chapters during the week. Thank you, and enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or anything you may recognise.**

**Warning: This chapter may contain violence; involving a blonde and an inanimate object.**

**Chapter 5**

About half-way through _Man of Steel_, Jeff's arm magically found it's way to Nick's shoulders, and, seeing as Nick didn't push it away, it stayed there for the rest of the movie. In-fact, it stayed there until they reached the car and he had to let go so Nick could drive Kurt and himself back to Dalton, while Jeff drove Blaine, Wes and David. Neither boy mentioned it, though both stored information in the back of their minds for later; Jeff realised that Nick didn't mind his slightly more-than-just-friends actions and Nick found that he _really_ liked having an arm around his shoulders – it made him feel safe. Returning to their dorm room, Nick flopped down on his bed, both emotionally and physically exhausted – it was 11 at night, he was surprised that they hadn't been caught and taken to the principals office (the curfew for the weekends was 10). Hearing the door creak open, Nick turned over in his bed and saw Jeff trying to sneak in.

'What are you doing?' Jeff startled, tripping over his own two feet and hitting his head on the side of his dresser.

'Owww! Jeez, Nick, I thought you were asleep!' Jeff stood up, rubbing his head, and stumbled over to his bed. Nick clambered over to take a look at Jeff's head, and grew very worried when he saw blood.

'Are you ok? Your head looks... sore.' Tentatively, Nick reached out a hand to touch the back of Jeff's head, which resulted in said person jerking his head away in pain. 'Uh, Jeff? I think you may be... bleeding.'

'Oh.' Jeff didn't sound mad like Nick expected, but it was hard to tell what he was feeling since he was facing away from Nick. 'That explains why I have a headache... and feel kinda dizzy.'

Nick placed his hands on Jeff's shoulders to steady him, as he had started to sway a little, and once he was sure that Jeff was not going to fall over, Nick stood up and made his way to the light-switch, which had been flicked off when Nick entered the room so currently they were moving by the light coming from the hallway through the open door. Turning the light on, Nick spun around and approached Jeff.

'Jeff, turn your head slightly so I can see the back of it.' Nick instructed, and Jeff did as he was told. 'Oh my.'

The gash wasn't too bad; it had only been bleeding for a few seconds, and it wasn't that big, but Nick knew that injuries to the head can be much more dangerous than to any other part of the human body. Pulling out his phone, he called Kurt (his dorm room was closer to the nurses office than Nick's).

_'Hello?'_

'Kurt, it's Nick. Listen, can you go to the nurses office and tell her that she's needed in room 36? Jeff fell over and hit his head, and it's slightly bleeding and he says that he's dizzy and he has a headache and this is all my fault because I scared him and he tripped and fell and oh my god, if he dies I'll be a murderer and I'll go to jail for the rest of my life and –'

_'Woah, Nick, calm down. Jeff is going to be fine, I'm sure of it. Calm down, and relax. I'll get the nurse, and she'll take care of Jeff, and I want you to sit down and make sure that Jeff stays awake until the nurse gets there, because in all the movies the guy who hits his head dies if he falls asleep. I'll see you in a few minutes.'_

Looking over to Jeff, Nick saw him looking at him with a funny expression on his face. 'What?'

'Oh, nothing. It's just that you are kinda cute when you are worried.' Nick stared at Jeff, before realising that since Jeff had hit his head, his inhibitions and walls had probably lowered, and he was saying things he wouldn't normally say. Just for the purpose of keeping Jeff awake (and most certainly not because he wanted to find out what Jeff thought of him which he wouldn't say aloud) Nick decided to play along. 'Your eyes get really big and your face goes all red, and your hands start waving about like you are a seal.'

'Oh really? What else do I do that you find cute?' Nick was genuinely interested, because he may never get another chance to learn all this, and he could use the information in his favour to help him win over Jeff – ok, now he sounds like a teenage girl with an obsession.

'Well,' Jeff started, tapping his chin as if in deep thought. 'When you blush, you always look at the ground and your hair falls in your face which is absolutely adorable, and when you're happy you smile, and all your teeth show and your eyes twinkle and it makes my stomach feel like there is a kaleidoscope of butterflies nesting inside of it, and then when you pout I want to kiss you. I don't know why though.'

Nick was staring, open mouthed at Jeff, overwhelmed and slightly shocked with all this information, and when Jeff looked his way, his features took on a worried expression.

'Did I say something wrong? Or maybe you don't like me back; I just assumed you did because you are always staring at m – mmmph!' On impulse, Nick had leant forward and captured Jeff's lips in a soft kiss, effectively cutting off his ramble. When they broke apart, Nick leant his forehead against Jeff's and smiled, glad he had finally gotten the chance to kiss Jeff. 'Your lips taste better than they did in my dreams.'

Nick giggled, knowing that if Jeff was in his right mind he probably wouldn't have said that, and then he was reminded that Jeff _wasn't_ in his right mind, and for all he knew he might regret the kiss when he was. This thought made him frown, and Jeff whined.

'Nicky! Don't frown, you'll make me think that you don't like kissing me. You do like it, don't you?' Jeff's voice sounded so concerned that it made Nick chuckle, and he assured Jeff that he did like kissing him.

'Good, because I'm going to do it again. And then tomorrow, and the next day, and for as long as you will let me.' Jeff's serious tone of voice invoked Nick into looking up, and gave him the hope that _maybe, just maybe_ Jeff might be telling the truth, and if he was, and if he remembered all of this, then he would make Nick the happiest person alive.

'I hope so.' Nick whispered in a small voice, before Jeff leaned and claimed his lips as his own. There was a knock at the door at the same time that someone coughed to make themselves known, and Nick turned around to see Nurse Juliet and Kurt standing in the doorway.

'Nick,' Kurt started off slowly. 'I told you to talk to him to keep him awake, not to eat his face off.' Nick's face burned red, and he quickly stood up to fill the nurse in on what had happened to try and cover up his embarrassment. She took a look at Jeff's head, and announced that there was nothing to worry about, and a few day's of _supervised_ rest should be enough before he could go back to school. Nurse Juliet handed Nick a bottle of aspirin for Jeff's headaches, bandaged Jeff's head and then left with the words 'Call me if you need anything, and make sure he doesn't move to much; that includes making out' and a wink in Nick's direction.

Kurt stood there, studying Nick, for a few minutes, before he asked him 'Have you two been dating behind our backs?'

'What! No!' Nick spluttered, trying to figure out why Kurt would even _think_ such a thing, let alone voice it.

As if sensing his thoughts, Kurt gestured to Jeff. 'Well, I walked in on you two kissing. Don't you think that's enough grounds for my question?'

Nick sat down on the bed next to Jeff, who was sleeping peacefully after the nurse had given him the 'ok' to do so. He then proceeded to relate the events which had happened in the minutes before Kurt and the nurses arrival to Kurt, who squealed at the end of the story an almost woke Jeff up.

'Shhh, Kurt, be quiet. There are people sleeping, you know!'

'I know, but still, this is so great! While you aren't technically dating, you still kissed and he admitted all those things to you, and once he's better I'll bet he's going to ask you out and then he'll become so smitten with you that you'll become boyfriends and then you'll fall in love and get married and have kids and –'

'Kurt, have you planned out my whole life based on one kiss?' Kurt looked a little sheepish, before saying 'It was two kisses.' Nick threw a pillow at Kurt, who threw it back, and then it turned into an all-out pillow fight, which ended in the two of them lying on Nick's bed overcome with fit after fit of giggles.

'Oh my gaga, I feel like I'm a teenage girl at a slumber party.' Kurt managed between giggles, to which Nick replied with 'Well, you sure look like one' earning himself a slap on the arm.

'Ow, that hurt.' Nick rubbed his sore arm, which was sporting a red hand mark. 'Look what you did! That's going to take ages to disappear!'

'More like 8 hours.' Nick looked at Kurt, and he shrugged. 'What? My stepbrother can get really annoying sometimes.'

Nick backed away from Kurt, with a dramatic look of horror on his face, causing Kurt to burst into giggles once again. There was a knock on the door, and it opened to reveal a worried and sleepy Blaine Anderson, complete with curly hair sticking in all directions, a grey wife-beater and blue boxers.

'Oh! There you are Kurt! I've been looking for you everywhere! You weren't in Wes and David's room, or Flint and Thad's, or any of the other Warblers, and I was getting really worried and then I realised that I hadn't checked here so I came here and I could hear giggling and since Jeff and Nick are always giggling I thought it was just them but then I thought 'Well, checking never hurt anybody except those people in horror movies who get killed by men in ski masks' and then I got worried that you were killed by a man in a ski mask or that _I _would be killed by a man in a ski mask but then I didn't really care because I couldn't find you and –'

'God, Blaine, shut up! You're going to wake Jeff.' Nick glared at Blaine and he instantly closed his mouth, which was actually quite comical and had Nick giggling (softly, of course) again, but Kurt was just staring at Blaine in adoration.

'You risked being killed by a man in a ski mask for me?' Nick buried his face into the duvet to try and mask his laughter, but it all came out at Blaine's next remark.

'Of course I did. You're my closest friend, and it would be worth it to be killed by a man in a ski mask if I knew that you were safe.' Nick laughed so hard and so much that he was having trouble breathing, and Kurt seemed to realise exactly what he and Blaine had just talked about because he joined in on the laughter, while Blaine just looked at the pair of them like they were lunatics.

'Watcha laughin' about, Nicky?' Nick's head shot up at the sound of Jeff's voice, and Kurt and Blaine edged out of the room to leave the two of them alone.

'See you tomorrow – later today Nick, Jeff.' Were their parting words, as Nick watched Jeff slowly sit up and wipe the sleep out of his eyes.

'Hey, Jeff. Have a good sleep?' Nick asked cautiously, not quite sure what Jeff actually remembered from the events of a few hours ago.

'Yeah,' Jeff said, nodding his head. 'I also had the weirdest dream – that I hit my head and you had to get the nurse and then you kissed me after I said all this stuff about you and – oh. It was real, wasn't it.' At that moment, Jeff had reached a hand up to run his fingers through his hair, and he had felt the bandage which the nurse had put there.

'Uh, yeah. It was.' Nick glanced at Jeff nervously, wanting to see what his reaction to this piece of revealed information was.

'Really?' Jeff sounded hopeful, and when Nick looked at him properly he saw that he was biting his lip and looking at Nick with wide eyes.

'Yeah.' Nick breathed, and Jeff looked like he could jump for joy, before suddenly slumping back into his bed. 'Is – is there something wrong, Jeff?'

'Hmm? Oh, uh, no. It's just that – if we are – you know – going to, like, go out, you'll, er, need to know some things about me. But not right now –' He said hastily at Nick's expectant expression. 'Because it's really late – early – and it will take a while. And normally, people go on dates before they get together.'

Nick grinned slyly at Jeff, before leaning over and whispering in his ear.

'Well, in that case, I think a date is in order. Friday, 6:00, place of my choice.' Pulling back, he explained to Jeff the nurses instructions, before getting up and flicking off the light.

In the darkness, Nick changed out of his street clothes (he wasn't going to wear his uniform on the weekend, come on) and into his pyjamas (an old shirt and some boxers) and slipped under the covers of his bed.

'Night Jeff.'

'Night Nick.' Was the reply, and after a few minutes, the air was filled with quiet little snores. Nick closed his eyes, and drifted off into a well-needed sleep.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Ok, I know it has been a week, but I really don't have time to update from Monday to Friday because I'm just so busy and have so much work to do. I've also had severe writers block; I've been trying to figure out how Jeff is going to reveal ****_some_**** of his back story (it's kinda long and I don't think anyone would be comfortable with revealing everything at once to ****_anybody_****) without it being really sudden or anything. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or anything you may recognise.**

**Chapter 6**

When Nick woke the next morning, Jeff was gone. Nick immediately shot up from bed, remembering the nurses orders from the night before. _Make sure he doesn't move too much. _Surely that included leaving the room? Checking to make sure Jeff wasn't just in the bathroom before he left, Nick sprinted down the hallway, almost certain that the reason Jeff had left the room had something to do with what he had talked about last night.

Nick ran into Wes on his rampage through the halls of Dalton, who looked confused and slightly concerned when Nick frantically asked him if he had seen Jeff and ran off without waiting for an answer. Perhaps he was overreacting, I mean the nurse _had _said that the injury wasn't that bad, but Nick was really worried that Jeff was currently laying sprawled across the floor somewhere, alone, unconscious, and in physical danger which could lead to horrible consequences. Fumbling for his phone, Nick pulled it out of his pocket and called Kurt, explaining the situation and asking Kurt to aid him in his search for the lost blonde. Kurt readily agreed, and they both decided to search different sides of the school in order to gain more ground.

Stumbling along the hallway, Nick passed the Warblers Hall and heard a vaguely familiar melody echoing out of the barely open door. Creeping over to the door, Nick poked his eye through the crack only to find that he couldn't see the person who was creating the beautiful music. Turning his head so his ear was resting gently, _very_ gently, upon the door, Nick tried to make out the sound of singing, but none was to be heard. Nick still couldn't recognise the song which was playing on the piano, but he very soon recognised the person playing the piano.

'I know that you're there, Nick. Just come in.' Jeff sounded... tired, defeated, subdued, weary, _sad_. There were so many different emotions, and so many different words which could try, but never succeed, to describe the tone of voice Jeff was using, that Nick didn't dwell on it and just entered the room, feeling a little embarrassed that he had been caught out, but not upset or angry with himself for letting it happen (he had been planning on going in anyway, and it was better to be invited in than to just invade someone's privacy).

'Oh god, Jeff, you can't just do that! I was so worried. For all I knew you could have been dying somewhere all alone and incapable of getting help for yourself and I was still lying in bed sleeping instead of being with you to help you and then you would have died alone and no-one would ever find you and then I would go to jail for murder because it really was my fault you fell no matter how much people try to convince me otherwise and –'

'Nick! Shut up.' Nick's mouth snapped shut at Jeff's words, and he immediately walked over to where Jeff was sitting and hugged him tightly, before sitting beside him on the piano stool. 'It wasn't your fault I fell, you won't be charged for murder, and most importantly, _I am not going to die_. Ok?'

Nick nodded, blushing as he remembered his ramble and every irrational thing he had fretted over.

'Remember how last night... I said there were some things I needed to tell you?' Nick nodded. 'Well, I can't tell you all of it. At least, not right now. Some things... I haven't told anyone. Some things everyone knows. Some things people found out. And some things I have only told a few people. So you can understand why I can't tell you everything straight away. It's not that I don't like you, I do, and I trust you. I just – I just can't tell you everything right out. I'm not comfortable with that.'

'It's ok.' Nick soothed, reaching out a hand to place it on Jeff's arm. 'It's ok. I understand.'

That made Jeff smile, and Nick felt his heartbeat pick up. _God_, that smile just did things to him.

'But... I can tell you a few things.' Nick perked up in interest, and looked at Jeff like an excited puppy, making Jeff giggle. 'Only if you stop that, though.' If Nick had a tail, it would have drooped.

'Ok. So, I came out to my sister when I was 14. I didn't actually know I was bi until then. I was just a normal straight kid, interested in girls and football and comics. But then... I kept finding myself staring at boys. Admiring them, thinking _Oh, that boy is cute_ or _He has nice arms_, and realised that I wasn't _just _interested in girls, I was also interested in boys. And you have to understand, both my parents were extremely religious, so although they had never told me outright that 'being gay is wrong', they had made homophobic comments at home and sometimes even in public, so I had it in my head that being gay couldn't be normal. I started thinking of myself as disgusting, started – started _doing_ things like – I'm sorry, I can't –'

'It's ok. You can tell me some other time. Just – just tell me what you are comfortable with telling me.' Nick had moved closer to Jeff, and at that moment he wrapped his arms around him, giving him a quick hug before releasing him. Jeff drew a deep breath, and started speaking again.

'Anyway, I became depressed. My parents didn't notice, but my sister did. One day she came into my room to ask me what was wrong, and it just all came spilling out.'

* * *

_'Jeff?' Audrey's voice came through his door and reached his ears, though he pretended not to hear her. 'Jeff, I'm coming in.'_

_The door creaked open, and Audrey's feet softly padded across the carpeted floor towards him. Jeff was sitting on his bed, reading his History textbook and taking notes._

_'Jeff. Jeff, look at me.' He reluctantly turned his head to see her, and Audrey took his textbook and put it on the floor next to her. 'Little bro, what's bothering you? You have been so sad and subdued lately, and I'm worried.'_

_Jeff looked at his sister, and all the feelings he had bottled up inside of him suddenly came tumbling out; his sister had always had that sort of effect on him._

_'I'm bi, and disgusting, and it isn't normal. I should only like girls, but I don't, and I don't want to like guys. I want to go on dates with girls, and make out in the theatre, and do all the stuff that straight guys do. I don't want to look at guys, and think that they look hot or nice, or handsome or _anything_! I just want to be normal like you and mum and dad and everyone else, because I'm disgusting and shouldn't exist and I'm going to go to hell and –'_

_'Shut up Jeff.' Audrey looked angry, and Jeff got scared, because his sister was bigger and stronger than he was, and he was sure she was going to beat him up. 'You're not disgusting. There is nothing wrong with being gay – or bi, and I don't ever want to hear you say anything like that again.'_

_Jeff stared at his sister in shock. He definitely didn't expect those words to leave her mouth, and he wasn't sure if he believed them, but then she continued._

_'Mum and dad are small-minded, and don't know what they are talking about. I don't care what anyone has told you, there is nothing wrong with being gay. Who you are is who you are, and that is perfectly normal. If you like guys and girls then that is your normal. No-one is the same, Jeff, and therefore there isn't any normal but your own. I completely accept who you are, and I want you to do the same thing. I am your older sister, and I know more about this than you do, so believe me when I say that there is nothing wrong with who you are. Homophobes are behind the times, Jeff, and they are all small-minded people obsessed with following the Bible completely, when they, in actual fact, don't. The Bible says you shouldn't cut your hair a certain way, or mix cotton and wool, or eat shellfish, and most people do all of those things. So do not, absolutely do not, _ever_ think that there is anything wrong with you, just because other people believe so. Got it?' Jeff nodded dumbly, unable to form a proper sentence._

_'Good. Now, I want you to get rid of that stupid belief that being gay is wrong, and sit down to do your homework. Tomorrow I want to see you all bouncy and excitable like you normally are, and then, when you're ready, I want you to tell mum and dad who you are. And I want you to tell me when so I can be there for you, and if our parents get out of line, so I can defend and support you.' Jeff is suddenly overcome with emotion, and before he can stop it a sob escapes his throat, and soon enough he is crying, sobbing into his sisters shirt, who has her arms wrapped around him and who is whispering to him, saying that everything is ok, that he is going to be ok, and that nothing is going to happen to him. After a while, the moment is over, and Audrey returns to her room, leaving Jeff to do his homework. For the first time in a while, he feels at peace with himself._

* * *

'Wow.' Nick was unsure of what to say, this information having thrown him off the scent because Jeff has just always been so _sure_ of who he was, and so_ confident_, that hearing some of his history with self-loathing is very confusing. So, he settled with 'wow'. 'I think – I think that one day, you are going to have to introduce me to this awesome sister of yours.'

'You just missed her.' Puzzled, Nick turned to look at Jeff, and saw a look of pure sadness covering his face. 'She was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, and that and a tumour which was discovered in her brain did it for her, and she died last year. But you're right. She was awesome. The best sister in the world.' Jeff sniffed, and Nick wound his arms around Jeff, letting him melt into his embrace. Suddenly remembering where they were, Nick stood up and stretched his hands out to Jeff.

'We have to get you back to our room, you're not supposed to move too much. And I have to call Kurt, because I haven't talked to him in half an hour and he's been looking for you on the wrong side of the school.' Picking up his phone, he texted Kurt '_Found Jeff. Don't worry_' before pulling Jeff up and leading him out of the room. They got a few funny looks from passing students, and for a second Nick thought he was back at his old school and a jock was about to come around the corner and shove them into the row of lockers, before realising that _no, _this is Dalton and they are looking at them like that because Jeff has a bandage wrapped around his head.

They reached the dorm room, and as soon as they entered Jeff collapsed on the bed, exhausted from having to walk from one end of the school to the other. Nick laughed silently, and walked over to the bed with the intention of pulling the covers over Jeff so he could sleep. He reached the bed alright, and he managed to tuck Jeff in, but what happened next was not what he had been planning.

'Cuddle me?' Jeff reached his arms out and made grabby hands at Nick, and how could he refuse such an adorable action? Walking over to the desk, Nick grabbed his laptop and, at Jeff's confused expression, explained.

'You may want to sleep, but I don't.'

He then kicked off his shoes and slid into the bed beside Jeff, who immediately cuddled up to him, laying his head on Nick's chest. Nick settled the laptop on his lap and turned it on. Scanning through his files, he opened up 'Movies' and clicked on _Mulan_, as it was one of his all-time favourites.

'Really? Disney?' Jeff raised an eyebrow at Nick from where he was below him, and Nick just stuck his tongue out at him.

'Disney. Is. Awesome.' Nick stated blankly, and Jeff just laughed.

'Of course it is. I was just wondering why you chose it.' Nick smiled, relieved that Jeff liked Disney as well, and settled in to watch the movie.

'_Look at me... I will never pass... for a perfect bride... Or a perfect daughter. Can it be... I'm not meant to play... this part!_' Nick's voice rang clearly throughout the dark room, and Jeff positioned his head so he could see Nick's face. Unaware that he had an audience (he was under the impression that Jeff had fallen asleep a few minutes into the movie) Nick continued the song, and it was only when he finished that he felt a slight movement and looked down to see Jeff giving him a silent applause.

'You should have sung that for your audition.' Jeff murmured quietly, blue-green eyes meeting brown.

'Maybe.' Caught up in the moment, Nick leaned down and lightly pecked Jeff's lips, before pulling back and looking into his eyes. 'Was that ok?'

'Mhmm. Just – not too much. We're not together, and we can't be until I tell you everything. But... it is nice. And I like it. I like it a lot. So... maybe sometimes.' Nick smiled and nodded, a little sad that they weren't together, but willing to wait a lifetime for Jeff to be ready.


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry, haven't updated in a week. I've just been busy, with assignments and stuff. But, I've updated now. And I am trying to figure out how to drag this out, because I don't want Nick and Jeff to get together until, like, Chapter 10 or something. Because otherwise I won't put myself through the challenge of ****_not writing fluffy Niff! _****Ok, here is an observation I have recently made: these authors notes are weird. Song is Conversations With My 13 Year Old Self by P!nk (one of my favourites). Enjoy!**

**P.S: Ever tried coffee and hot chocolate?**

**P.P.S: Another reason I haven't updated is because I have been too busy reading this story, Swing Sets and Sandboxes, by beautifulwhatsyourhurry, on Scarves and **

**P.P.P.S: There are a lot of post scripts. Anyway, I won't be able to update An Unprecedented Friendship because I am going to be out all day, but I will update it as soon as possible. And this is sad, because I need some crying!Nick and comforting!Jeff. Call me crazy but those are some of my favourite scenes because, ****_hello_****, Niff fluff that isn't kisses and couply – sorta – stuff.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, or anything you may happen to recognise.**

**Chapter 7**

What Nick said before about waiting a lifetime for Jeff to be ready? It looked like exactly that was going to happen. It had been a week – a _week_ – and Nick, honestly, was getting tired of waiting. Jeff had been back at school for a few days – well, technically he never _left_, but you know what I mean – and in those few days, nothing had happened. They hadn't kissed, they hadn't talked, they hadn't gone out to the movies or anything (though that may have something to do with the fact that Jeff, though practically healed, was on campus lock down, because no-one trusted him not to get hit by a car, driving or crossing the road), they hadn't. Done. _Anything_. But, Nick was going to be patient.

The only problem was, Nick wasn't a very patient person.

But, he was a very observant person – and in this case, good observation wasn't a blessing. More like a curse.

When Jeff walked out of the bathroom, with only a towel slung low on his hip, Nick couldn't help but look up from his history homework. He also couldn't help but notice the few water droplets splattered across Jeff's toned chest, or the droplet shaped like a tear, which was slowly making its way down Jeff's chest. Over his abs, down, down, over the slight v shape which was visible above the towel, until it was absorbed by the towel, making it a slightly darker shade of red. Re-adjusting his history book, making sure it was _just_ perfectly positioned on his lap, not enough to look suspicious but also enough to cover his growing erection, and trying – and failing – to resist licking his lips, nodded his head in greeting to Jeff.

And then, when Jeff was just waking up in the morning, he just had to rub his eyes in an adorable way which made him look years younger, and open his mouth wide to yawn. He also just had to stretch his arms up high, revealing a sliver of skin when his shirt rose, and he just had to wet his dry lips, making Nick do the same and become suddenly aware of his morning wood which he was pretty sure wasn't there a minute ago. Needless to say, he rushed into the bathroom with the excuse of 'needtogorightnownothingsuspiciousgoingonhere', and Jeff's raised eyebrow at his retreating form.

Of course, there was also the time in Warblers rehearsal (side note, Nick found out that Wes can be _really_ scary when he wants to be) when Jeff was showing the group a dance he had choreographed by himself, and it just had to be to Bruno Mars' song 'Locked Out Of Heaven', and he just had to look _supermegafoxyawesomehot_ in his white dress shirt (top buttons undone, and blazer lost because it was _way_ to hot to dance in) which was taut across his chest and drenched in sweat, tie hanging loosely and looking as if it would fall off any minute. And the dancing just _had_ to be the type which made you want to walk over to the person committing the crime (as that type of dancing produced reactions which were not acceptable to have in a room full of other teenage boys, and should be illegal and therefore was, in Nick's eyes, a form of criminal activity – though it was the good kind of criminal activity, if you know what I mean), push them against the wall and _ravish_ said person. Well, _that_ certainly wasn't going to happen, but Nick could dream.

Which brings us to _another_ (there are many of these, aren't there) little problem that Nick was having; he was having lucid dreams, or sex dreams, as they are called, and with his roommate being the object of his fantasies, Nick had to be careful. Careful not to moan his name in his sleep (which he really had no control over), careful not to make _any_ noise whatsoever. And everyone knows that that is practically impossible, especially when your subconscious is in control and you are not capable of making any conscious decisions. So Nick had to resort to – lets say, desperate measures. He would jerk himself off before going to bed – which wasn't that hard considering the thoughts running through his head –, make sure Jeff was asleep before falling asleep himself, and set his alarm on his phone to wake himself up before Jeff woke up (during the time he had lived with Jeff, he had found out that Jeff's body clock always woke him up around 6:30, never before). Nick had considered finding something – like a gag – to stop himself from talking, but a) that would invoke questioning and b) he was worried he might choke in his sleep! So that idea was ruled out fairly early.

One other thing that was eating into Nick was this – Jeff seemed to be avoiding him. And that hurt Nick. He couldn't stand being pushed away by Jeff, he couldn't stand not talking to him all the time, sharing things about their days. In the few weeks Nick had been at Dalton, he had fallen into a routine with Jeff, and now that he barely saw Jeff except for the mornings, class and the evenings (so maybe not _barely_, but it sure felt like it) his whole life was thrown off balance.

All this made Nick very sad, hurt, and tired, and when Nick was tired it also meant he was ill-tempered. The Warblers had taken to calling him 'Grumpy' after one of the seven dwarves (they were big in Disney, though they would never admit it; sometimes a whole rehearsal would just be full of Disney song after Disney song), but Jeff and Kurt were getting worried. Kurt could see that he was loosing sleep, and Kurt knew just how bad that was for your skin and for your health, and Jeff was worried because he thought that maybe, it had something to do with him – which he was generally right about, but he thought that it was the _information_ about himself that he had given Nick, even though it was one of the less traumatising parts, that was making him that way. Jeff found himself becoming reluctant to tell Nick anymore, for Nick's and his own sake.

You see, Jeff was worried that when he told Nick about his past, Nick would be so disgusted with him, he would finally know what a horrible and disgusting human being he was, that he would instantly regret ever having feelings or being friends with or even ever _touching_ Jeff, and then one of the only good things in Jeff's life would be gone before he even was able to see the full extent of its – for lack of a better word – goodness. Little did he know that this whole misunderstanding was having its own effect on Nick, and it wasn't a good one.

It was like a cycle; Nick was tired and not well, which led Jeff to believe that it was his own fault, which led Jeff to pull away, which led Nick to become even more tired and exhausted, and so on and so forth. At some point, one of them was going to have to break the cycle.

* * *

But it didn't look like it would be broken any time soon. A few more weeks passed, and still same old same old. And Nick had had enough of it.

* * *

'Jeff, we need to talk.' Jeff tensed up at those words, which were spoken to his back. He had been dreading hearing them, because he knew that anything that came after those five words couldn't be good.

'We talk all the time,' Jeff said, feigning confusion. 'What could we possibly have to talk about?'

'Don't be stupid. You know what I mean.' Nick didn't mean to snap at him, honestly, and didn't even realise his actions until he saw Jeff flinch and turn around so quickly that he must have strained something. 'I – I'm sorry, I didn't mean to - I'm just an – so tired. Sorry.'

'N – no, i – it's o – ok.' Jeff relaxed slightly, and patted the spot on the bed next to him. Nick sat down with a sigh, and wrapped his arms around Jeff's shoulders, desperate for some physical contact.

'No, it's not ok. I'm just tired because I haven't been getting much sleep lately, and so you shouldn't have been subjected to my crabbiness. You only asked a question, you did nothing wrong.' Jeff swallowed, because if he was right, Nick's opinion about that would change very soon. Instead of answering, Jeff just squeezed Nick, and leant his head on Nick's shoulder. This is who they were; the touchy-feely friends who both also happened to have feelings for one another.

Nick saw that he had to be the one to start this conversation, so he did just that.

'Look, Jeff, for whatever reason, you have been avoiding talking to me about your past this week, and don't deny it,' He rushed when Jeff opened his mouth to object. Once the coast was clear, and Jeff wasn't going to interrupt, Nick continued. 'You have been. And I respect your privacy, if you don't feel ready to talk to me about... it, then you don't have to. But tell me. Tell me you don't want to. Don't go and try to avoid me, because when you do that – it hurts. It hurts more than I can describe, and I don't like it! It makes me sad and I feel unwelcome at Dalton, like I'm intruding on everyone here or something, because while the Warblers are all well and good, you and Kurt are really my only good friends, and I'm sure that overtime David, Blaine, Wes and Trent – maybe even Thad – will become my good friends too, right now they aren't and I feel like I've lost you, and that just – it just –' Nick was realising all these things he felt that he hadn't known about before, and the feeling was so overwhelming that he broke down – people seem to do a lot of that here – in Jeff's arms, with Jeff holding him, rocking him back and forth and whispering promises and comforting words into his ear. Holding him tight against his chest, Jeff softly kissed Nick's hair, and rested his cheek atop Nick's head. Nick continued to cry into Jeff's shirt, dampening it with his tears, until he finally calmed himself. He tried to pull away from Jeff, but Jeff only held him tighter.

'Shhh, honey, it's ok. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel like you were loosing me. I'm always going to be here, ok? I'm never going. I promise.' Jeff's words sent Nick into a whole other fit of tears, and Jeff stroked his hair, his back, his arms, trying to make him feel safe and calm. Remembering something from his past, Jeff decided _what the hell_, and starting singing.

_Conversations with my 16 year old self  
Conversations with my 16 year old self_

_You're angry, I know this  
The world couldn't care less  
You're lonely, I feel this  
And you wish, you were the best_

Deciding to change some of the lyrics, seeing as Nick wasn't a 13 year old girl, Jeff sung softly into Nick's ear, and slowly Nick started to calm down, listening to the lyrics and snuggling into Jeff's chest.

_No teachers or guidance  
And you always walk alone  
You're crying at night when  
Nobody else is home_

_Come over here and let me  
Hold your hand and hug you, darlin'  
I promise you that it won't  
Always feel this bad_

Nick looked up at Jeff through his eye lashes, and a small smile crept across his face. He _adored_ this song, and in a way, it fit the situation they found themselves in.

_There are so many things  
I want to say to you  
You're the boy, I used to be  
You little heartbroken 16 year old me_

_You're laughin' but you're hidin'  
God, I know that trick too well  
You forget that I've been you  
And now I'm just the shell_

Nick joined in at this point, deeming it the right thing to do in this situation.

_I promise, I love you  
And everything will work out fine  
Don't try to grow up yet  
Oh, just give it some time_

_The pain you feel is real  
You're not asleep but it's a nightmare  
But you can wake up any time_

Jeff stared at Nick in surprise; he knew that Nick didn't love him in _that way_, at least not yet, but he did love him to some extent, and love was one feeling Jeff hadn't much experience with. He never really received any from his family (with the exception of his sister), and only after he came to Dalton did he learn what that word meant; it meant that people would support and stand by you no matter what, and that was what he had found with the Warblers. Jeff sang the rest by himself.

_Oh, don't lose your passion  
Or the fighter that's inside of you  
You're the boy, I used to be  
The pissed off complicated 16 year old me_

_Conversations with my 16 year old self  
Conversations with my 16 year old self_

_Until we meet again  
Oh, I wish you well  
Oh, I wish you well  
Little boy_

Nick laughed softly, because _yeah_, he was _little boy_ because he was shorter than everyone at Dalton except, like, Blaine.

_Until we meet again  
Oh, I wish you well  
Little boy  
I wish you well_

_Until we meet again  
My little 16 year old me_

Jeff reached out a hand to cup Nick's face, and wiped away a few tears which had fallen throughout the song (the others were currently residing in Jeff's soaked dress shirt), before tilting his head and placing a soft kiss on Nick's lips, with the words 'comfort kiss'.

Blushing, Nick hid his head in Jeff's chest, before pulling back and making a face.

'If we're gonna cuddle, change your shirt.'

Jeff laughs, glad that Nick isn't as upset – understatement of the century – as he was before, and reaches into his drawers, which were located right beside his bed, conveniently, for a new shirt. Pulling his tear-soaked one off (and pretending not to notice Nick's eyes on him) Jeff slid his new shirt on and lay back down on his bed, kicking his shoes off and gesturing for Nick to do the same.

When they were finally comfortably settled on Jeff's bed, Nick gave Jeff the option of 'Disney or Dreamworks' and Jeff, obviously, chose Disney. The rest of the night was spent singing along to Pocahontas, The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, and forgetting about the seriousness of the events before.

**Right now I want to cry. Writing this at the same time as listening to Who Knew by P!nk makes me want to cry (my dad used Who Knew at my aunties funeral in a video we made when I was 8).**


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: So, I am sick so I decided to update sooner so I have something to do. I changed the rating on the story because this part is very... well, it is probably not very suitable for people who don't want descriptions of 'explicit themes'. Jeff's story is really horrible, and this chapter will explain some of why Jeff transferred to Dalton. Only Jeff's parents, his (deceased) sister, Wes, Blaine, Kurt and David know this part. I can't imagine how horrible this would have been for people who have ****_actually_**** experienced this – not necessarily under the same circumstance, but basically having the same thing happen to them, and my heart goes out to them.**

**P.S. Has anyone ever read the Mirrorworld series by Cornelia Funke? It is really good, trust me.**

**P.P.S. I advise all readers to never use the list of words they see underneath the chapter heading, because they are all extremely horrible.**

**P.P.P.S. I love writing Wes and David, because they are funny, amazing, awesome, cool, kind and many other adjectives which I am not going to name, but you probably already know because who doesn't like Wevid? And a random quote from David 'Twisties are the best when you're sick'. (Beware, I do not know when holidays and such are on in America, but I am trying my best to keep up with it).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jeff S. Sterling, Nick Duval, or any of the other characters or settings or anything else you may recognise.**

**TRIGGER WARNING: This contains an account of sexual assault and verbal abuse.**

**Chapter 8**

_'Slut.'_

_'Fag.'_

_'Homo.'_

_'Faggot.'_

_'Fudge packer.'_

_'Fairy.'_

_'Sodomite.'_

_Everyone he passed glared at him, homophobic slurs and phrases contaminating the air surrounding him. He dared not look up, in case someone thought he was admiring their body or something else just as unreasonable and decided to beat him up for it. For the umpteenth time. He knew it was no use. His day would end the same way every other had – with the jocks of the school cornering him in the gym or the parking lot or whichever part of the school he happened to be near, beating the crap out of him, before turning their backs on him and leaving him there. Then, after a while, he'll pick himself up, limp to his car, drive home with the knowledge that both his parents are at work (not that they'd care anyhow), before making the effort to conceal his injuries and pretend, like every other day, that nothing bad has happened for the sake of his parents. They already have much to worry about, with the mortgage and all their debts with family and friends, they don't need to know that their only son is gay and that he is physically and verbally abused at school daily. Except today is different. Arriving at his locker after the last bell has rung, he finds a note inside. _**KILL YOURSELF FAG**_. They even wrote it in capitals. He hears the cold and wicked laughter of the jocks behind him when they perceive him reading their message, and he runs. He doesn't care where, just runs. He can't let them see his tears, hear his sobs which they have heard so many times before. Eventually he reaches a dead end – he had run down the hallway leading to the janitors closet – and he turns around, only to find his way blocked by Caleb... and his friends._

_'Look-y what we have here, boys. A little fairy.' Caleb sneers, his top lip upturned in an unattractive manner. The group descends upon him, pinning his arms on the wall behind him. Long ago did he realise the ineffectiveness of fighting back – it merely inflamed their tempers and meant more pain for him._

_'Bet you like this, don't you slut? Like being so close to so many boys, gets you all hot and bothered don't it?' One of the jocks – he doesn't know all their names, so he refers to them as the 'jocks', because essentially, that is all they are – jeers at him, causing the rest to laugh and murmur their assent._

_'I think he'd like it better if he had a cock inside of him, huh boys?' Caleb looks to the others, some of them looking slightly shocked before catching on and nodding, not-so-friendly grins plastered on their faces. Before he knew what was going on, his belt had been undone, his pants pushed to the ground along with his boxers and his body had been flipped around and bent over so that his face was smashed against the wall. He heard the tell-tale sound of a zipper being undone and jeans being taken off, and suddenly there was a dry, blunt pressure applied to his hole. All this was done before he had the chance to react, and now that his mind had caught up with reality, he started to fight back._

_'No, please, no. Just – just leave me alone. Please!' He whimpered, even though he knew it was no use._

_'Stop,' He cried. 'Please, stop. No no no n – no no no p – plea – please st –' His pleas are cut off by a scream – it came from him, he realises – as the blunt pressure turns into a sharp pain which feels like it is splitting him in half. Suddenly, the sharp pain is removed, only to be thrust upon him once again. It happens over and over, and all throughout it he never stops screaming. There are tears and snot mixed together on his face, and he can feel the blood, which is the product of the intrusion, easing the slide of Caleb's cock inside of him._

_He wonders why no-one had stopped them, why no-one has heard his screams and his pleas and come to help, before he remembers who he is. He is the school queer, the fag, the person no-one – not even his family – cares about, whom everyone would be better off without. His parents wouldn't miss him, they would probably be happy to see him gone. No more buying clothes or food for him; they would be able to pay off the mortgage, buy an even bigger house. They wouldn't even have to work anymore. And his sister won't miss him – no, it's the other way around. He misses her like she was his soulmate. Even though he doesn't like girls. She was the most beautiful, the kindest, the sweetest and smartest girl – woman – he had ever known, and now she was gone. No, he'd be happy to be reunited with her. And his friends – non-existent. No-one at school wanted to be friends with the gay who also happened to be one of the smartest and therefore, nerdiest kids at the school – that would be social suicide. So, he was right – no-one would miss him. He should just go now, before he hurt anymore people and ruined their lives._

_His pleas for Caleb to stop ceased – only his screams of pain pierced the air around them, but even they were dimming. All of a sudden, Caleb let out a shout, and warm liquid – which hadn't come from his body – filled him up. The cause of the pain was removed, but the pain remained, and all these feelings where too overwhelming._

_The last thing he saw was Caleb's face, disgust written all over it, coming right up against his, and a sticky substance spurting from his mouth and over his eyes, before it went black._

* * *

'No, no, ple – please! Stop! Plea – please, please, please.' A stream of broken words and sobs erupted from Jeff's mouth, and Nick sprang from his bed. Glancing around, Nick saw Jeff, tossing and turning, with tears streaming down his face. Walking carefully towards Jeff's bed, as to not wake him – his mother had once told him to never wake people from nightmares as it can result in severe trauma, and while he believed it to be a common myth, he didn't want to take any chances with Jeff – Nick slowly knelt down on the mattress, trying his hardest not to put too much pressure on it and cause Jeff to roll off the bed.

'Jeff? Jeff, are you ok?' Jeff just whimpered, and that did it for Nick – it didn't matter what his mother said. He wrapped Jeff up in his arms (they have been in this position quite a few times too often for his liking) and cradled him to his chest.

'Shhh, shhh, Jeff. It's ok. I'm here, nothing can happen to you. It's only me Nick.' While whispering comforting words into his ear, Nick reached for Jeff's phone, which was lying on the bedside table. Pulling it off the charger, he texted Wes, figuring he would probably now what was happening.

**October 17, 23:37**

**To Wes:**

**Nick here Jeff is having a nightmare dont know what to do please help.**

For someone who was right-handed, Nick was pretty good with his left hand while holding his best friend/crush who was whimpering and successfully diverting his attention from calling for help. The reply came almost instantly, though it took Nick a little while to figure out what the usually punctuation perfect text said.

**October 17, 23:38**

**From Wes:**

**ok be tere in a secn runing and textg is hrd excuse m nonexistent grammr davd cm wth me**

Almost as soon as he had finished reading it, there was a loud knock on the door, and two bodies clad in pyjamas burst into the room. If it weren't for the current situation, it would have been comical how both David and Wes suddenly stood up very straight, hands on each others mouths to stop the other from talking, eyes wide as they took in the scene before their eyes. Nick only just noticed that they were wearing the same clothes, but decided to store that information away for later instead of bringing it up now, as there were more important things to be worrying about other than Wes and David's apparent absolute co-dependence on each other.

'How long has he been like this?' Wes asked, at the same time as David said 'He's probably dreaming about giant waffles covered in nutella chasing him across Lolly Land.'

Nick and Wes stared at David, who stared back. 'What? It's really scary, trust me.'

Shaking his head, Wes knelt down beside Nick and gently took Jeff from him.

'Hey, Jeffy? It's ok, it's only Wes. You can wake up now, I'm here. David is here, too. It's ok, nothing can hurt you. We've got you.' Wes' words were comforting, and worked surprisingly well, as Jeff calmed down almost immediately. It was a miracle in Nick's eyes.

'Yeah, Jeffy,' David knelt on the other side of Jeff, leaning down so his mouth was just next to Jeff's ear. 'Me, Nick and Wes will protect you from the giant scary waffles.'

Nick covered his mouth to prevent himself from laughing, but instead it just came out as an unattractive snort. Slowly, as if waking from a trance, Jeff's eyes blinked open, heavy with sleep.

'Wes?' He whined, looking around for his best friend.

'Right here. Shhh, it's ok. I've got you.' Wes said when Jeff started to cry again. David wrapped his arms around the two, and they stayed like that until Jeff's whimpers and sobs ceased to little hiccups.

'Hey, Jeff? Was it – _that _dream again?' Wes asked, shooting a knowing look in David's direction. Jeff gave an almost imperceptible nod, and David gasped dramatically.

'Oh no! But – it can't be – you said that – but they had –' He was cut off by Wes slapping him on the arm, and he composed himself. 'I mean, you had said they stopped? Why would they come back?'

Wes' face was suddenly overcome with a stern look, which he directed at Jeff. 'Jeff, answer me this; how long ago did they come back?'

'Ju – jus – just toni – night – no – no other – other dreams. Promise.' Wes nodded, and his stern expression morphed into a concerned one.

'Ok. Well then – wait. Oh,' He turned, as if only just noticing that Nick was still in the room (he had moved off the bed when Wes took Jeff from him, not wanting to hinder him). 'Nick. You'll probably be wanting an explanation, but as you can see, I don't think that Jeff can offer one right now.'

Nick nodded, he understood completely, even if he was anxious to know what was wrong, and what _that_ dream was about.

'I think – I think it would be best if Jeff stayed with us tonight. If that is ok with you.' Wes looked to Nick, and Nick could see the deep concern he held for Jeff in his eyes.

'Sure, absolutely, whatever you think is best.' Nick mumbled, a little disappointed that Jeff wouldn't be with him tonight, but too concerned for his friend to object.

David and Wes shared a meaningful look, and David lifted Jeff, bridal style (Jeff was still half-asleep, so he couldn't walk and wasn't really aware of what was going on), and carried him out of the room. Wes followed, but paused in the doorway.

'I'll text you in the morning to let you know what's happening. No school tomorrow, we have a day off.' Laying a hand on Nick's shoulder, he squeezed it slightly. 'Don't worry, he'll be fine, and we'll tell you what just happened tomorrow.' With that, he disappeared after David, leaving Nick to his thoughts.

Nick aimlessly wandered over to his bed, and slipped under the sheets. He closed his eyes, willing the Sandman to work his magic and bring sleep to his restless mind, but no such luck.

After an hour or so of the same thing, Nick finally relented and reached over to turn his lamp on. Walking over to Jeff's shelves, he pulled _A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning_ from them (Jeff had finished reading this a while ago, and had told Nick that he could borrow whichever book he wished, he didn't have to ask) and, like the owner before him, immersed himself in the wonderful adventures of the Baudelaire siblings.

* * *

_Bzzzzz, bzzzzz, bzzzzz._

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Nick reached over and picked up his phone, which had been buzzing seconds ago, notifying him to the fact that someone was texting him.

**10 unread messages**

Intrigued, Nick unlocked his phone and pressed on the letter icon.

**October 18, 5:39**

**From Wes:**

**Hey Nick. Jeff is still asleep, but he's not having nightmares anymore. Just thought you might want to know.**

**October 18, 6:43**

**From David:**

**Hi**

**October 18, 6:43**

**From David:**

**Nick what are**

**October 18, 6:44**

**From David:**

**You doing right now**

**October 18, 6:44**

**From David:**

**I am watching Wes sleep. He doesn't**

**October 18, 6:45**

**From David:**

**Do that very often. Sorry, I kept pressing enter instead of space.**

**October 18, 7:08**

**From Wes:**

**Have you seen David? He disappeared a little while ago, saying he was going to talk to you or something.**

**October 18, 7:44**

**From Wes:**

**I guess you haven't. You're probably still asleep. He just came back, don't worry.**

**October 18, 7:44**

**From David:**

**Do you know how to make waffles? I think that may help with Jeff's fears, seeing that he can just eat the waffles, he doesn't have to run away from them.**

**October 18, 7:45**

**From David:**

**Don't worry about waffles. Blaine is making some. You should come over, he can make really good waffles. Like, mouth watering, absolutely delicious, crunchy waffles, which just make you want to eat his waffles for the rest of your life. Well, that is until you either get sick of eating waffles or you try Kurt's waffles, which somehow taste so much better than Blaine's. But back to my point, you should come over and join the waffletarians.**

His clock read 7:47. _Time for breakfast_, Nick thought.


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: Because I was sick two days ago I was able to update this story twice in a small amount of time, but after this (unless I get sick again) it will go back to the normal once a week updates. Thank you to itsonlyimpossibleuntilitsnot for telling me about the lack of trigger warning in my last chapter, I added it in. Wes' girlfriend is evil in my mind, and so there will be some drama there (perhaps not in this chapter, though). Anyway, enjoy this chapter. I made sure to include the waffle breakfast. Reviews are appreciated.**

**P.S. Everyone should hear Telly Leung's version of 'I'll Cover You'. It is really good.**

**WARNING: David and waffles is a deadly (and perhaps traumatising) combination... Especially when paired with Nick and maple syrup. They can be a bit (a lot) OTT.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or anything/anyone you may recognise... but I do own waffletarian. And Hugh Franco. Oh, and Katherine Rivers – David's girlfriend – and Tabitha – Wes' girlfriend – belong to CP Coulter.**

**Chapter 9**

Nick stumbled along the hallway, still half-asleep, following the delicious scent of waffles. He passed a few fellow students, who looked at him worriedly, but then brushed it off as another 'strange warbler thing'. The Warblers, while the most popular group in the school, were also one of the strangest and most prone to pulling pranks, especially on teachers or uptight students (including Wes). When he finally reached the door leading to Wes and David's room (well, walked into it would be more accurate), Nick knocked on it once before bursting in and looking around for the –

'Waffles!'

Yes, the waffles. You see, Nick and David shared their love for food, and also their love for waffles – despite David sometimes being scared of them and hiding behind Wes with a fork in his hand saying 'Get back, I have cutlery and am not afraid to use it!' before stabbing the waffle and effectively splattering Wes with maple syrup.

Blaine was standing in a kitchen-like area of the room – David had insisted upon it when he moved in with Wes, and his parents just couldn't deny him what he wanted (not to say he was spoiled, just when it came to food... you don't want to know what happens when you deny him his food) – with a bowl of batter in one hand and opening the lid of the waffle iron to take the already made waffle out with the other. Kurt was standing behind him, and he was supposed to be mixing another bowl of waffle batter, but was actually admiring Blaine as he went on making waffles, who had no knowledge of what his best friend was currently thinking. Nick laughed and shook his head at Kurt when he almost dropped the bowl as he was so distracted, but one glance at the death stare Kurt was giving him and he swallowed his laughter with an audible gulp.

'Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiicky!' Suddenly, a great weight landed on his back, and Nick fell to the floor with an 'mph'.

'What the –' Lifting his head slightly, Nick could see a very excited David sitting criss-cross applesauce on his back, babbling on about something incoherent.

'– and then Blaine pulled out the waffle iron and I was like 'YAY WAFFLES' and Wes hid behind the couch like some weirdo and then Kurt came into the room and was making bedroom eyes at Blaine and was all flirty like 'do you want some help with that?' but Blaine was as oblivious as ever and just said 'sure, you can mix the batter' and then got offended when I said 'YAY SOMEONE WHO IS BETTER AT EVERYTHING THAN BLAINE IS MAKING MY WAFFLES' but he didn't take it the way I meant it and Kurt just rolled his eyes as I started rambling about waffles and said that I am a male version of Rachel Berry only without the large ego and the long hair and then I said 'and I have the good looks' and then you came in and I jumped you – not like that, don't flatter yourself – and now we are here with me talking and you – having trouble breathing.'

Somewhere during David's rant he had moved so he was sitting atop Nick's ribcage, which had made it hard for Nick to breath –, so when he noticed that Nick's face was going blue he immediately sprang up and off Nick and over to where Wes was still hiding behind the couch.

'Come on, Wes, stop hiding. It's not like the waffles are going to – AH THE WAFFLES ARE GOING TO EAT ME! SAVE ME WES!' At that moment Blaine had produced the first waffle, and the moment David caught sight of it he started screaming. Pulling Wes up in front of him, for protection, David grabbed the first thing he could see – and of course, it was a fork.

'Wes, you must go in to save us all from the waffle. It will be a dangerous mission, and it could be fatal, so this may the last time,' David said gravely, looking serious and sad. 'That we ever speak to each other. And I know I have a girlfriend – who is the most beautiful girl in the world, my Katherine –, and you have an evil witch, but – deep breaths David, you can do it – but I just wanted to tell you – that I love you.'

He leaned in to kiss Wes, who in turn leaned further and further back until he tripped over the couch, and seeing as David was still holding onto him, they fell together. Pushing David off of himself, Wes reluctantly picked up the fork and walked over to where Blaine was barely holding himself together. He lifted the fork, and stabbed the waffle, causing David to shriek and cover his eyes.

Peaking from between his fingers, David saw that Wes was still alive, so he ran over and hugged Wes so hard that he – like Nick – couldn't breath properly thanks to David.

'My hero.' David muttered, before taking the fork and shoving the waffle into his mouth with a swiftness that only David, when confronted with food, could pull off.

'Meds mapu srup.' David said through a mouthful of waffle.

'Maple syrup?' Nick and David look at each other, and in that moment the other three boys in the room become worried. The subject of their worry is the manic look in both David and Nick's eyes at the words 'maple syrup'.

'Uh, Wes? Kurt? A little help here?' David and Nick had started to walk slowly towards Blaine, with identical grins on their faces, and Blaine was getting very [insert word that means more than scared].

Kurt was no help – he was standing in the background, waffle mixture forgotten, covering his mouth in a desperate attempt to stop himself from bursting out laughing at the situation Blaine was in. Wes was in a similar position, except he gathered himself enough to scramble over to where Blaine was and take the waffle iron out of his hands. Nick and David's attention was turned then to him, and Wes held the iron out in front of himself in a threatening manner.

'One more step and bye bye waffle iron.'

Almost comically, Nick and David froze on the spot, both with horrified and disbelieving looks pasted across their faces.

'Wes, you wouldn't –'

'Come on, Wessy, you couldn't –'

'I could, I would, and unless you listen to me, I will. I will give this nice, innocent, inanimate,' He added at the look that Kurt gave him which clearly said _stop personifying the waffle iron because it is really creepy_ – ok, maybe not so clearly. 'Object back over to Blaine, who will carry on with his waffle-making, and you two will sit silently and still like good little boys until he is finished. Understood?'

Nick and David both nodded frantically, and Wes was momentarily worried that their heads were in danger of falling off.

'I smell waffles.' A soft voice drifted over from the doorway, and Nick turned around to see Jeff standing there, looking... utterly adorable. His blonde hair was all mussed up, he was dressed in slacks and an oversized shirt, and he was rubbing his sleepy eyes in a very 3 year old manner, making him look soft and cuddly. Nick just wanted to bundle him up in his arms and squeeze him really tight.

Jeff slowly shuffled into the room, feet barely lifting from the ground, and eventually he collapsed – exhausted, as he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before – onto the couch, and into Nick's lap. Nick hesitantly lifted his hands, then seemed to come to a decision and experimentally ran his fingers through Jeff's soft hair, smoothing it down upon his head. When Jeff made no sound of annoyance or dislike, Nick repeated the action, continuing to card his fingers through Jeff's hair. Nick may have come to the room to find out what '_that_' dream was, but he would find out about that later. There was no way he was going to interrupt this peaceful and comfortable moment.

Luckily, he didn't have to.

'WAFFLESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!' Thad and Flint appeared in the doorway, and apparently they were the cause of the aforementioned cry. They tried to run into the room at the same time, but got stuck in the doorway (Flint had very broad shoulders, something which Thad admired (but would never admit to admiring if asked)). Flint stepped back to let Thad through, and Thad ducked his head away to hide his blush, before stepping through the doorway and literally tripping over his own feet in his race to the waffles. Fortunately (and unfortunately) for him, Flint was there to catch him and stop him from falling, only really serving to make his blush bigger and more noticeable. Flint frowned, but didn't say a word, and instead let Thad down and walked over to where Blaine was standing, observing the scene before him and burning the waffles.

'Dude, stop burning the waffles.' As if someone had flipped the on-switch inside his head, Blaine opened the iron lid, pulled the waffle out and flicked it onto a waiting plate, all in one swift movement.

'Kurt, more batter.' Blaine said. 'Kurt?' Turning around, Blaine saw Kurt lying on the floor, shaking with silent laughter and covered in flour. Blaine reached over and took the waffle batter from Kurt's trembling hands, and proceeded to make enough waffles for all 7 – no, make that 8 – of them, as Kurt had, albeit, reluctantly, consented to eating at least on waffle, because Blaine had given him the irresistible puppy dog eyes.

'Mmmmmmmmm. These are absolutely fantabulistic! You two are magical!' David moaned, after he took his first bite.

'I already know that.' Was Kurt's reply, and Blaine just smiled and shook his head at his two friends behaviour. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the waffles, even Kurt, and Wes – as he had finished his breakfast first – stood to make everyone coffee (he couldn't live without it, and he figured that he may as well make some fore everyone else as well). He disappeared out the door, walking in the direction of the Dalton kitchens. The students weren't actually allowed to make themselves coffee, or anything with which the instruments used could be considered as a danger to health (waffle irons included, but the boys decided to overlook that), in their dorms, so Wes had to go and ask Ms. Talia (the Warblers always referred to the staff as Ms., Mr., or Mrs., never as 'the janitor' or 'the kitchen lady', because they believed that doing so was disrespectful) to make the coffee for him. Normally staff weren't allowed to do things like that, it was either served at meal times or not at all, but Ms. Talia liked Wes, because he was kind and respectful, and therefore would often bend the rules for him.

* * *

During the time it took Wes to walk there and back, holding a tray with 8 coffees, everyone had managed to eat all their waffles. They were sitting down, talking about the upcoming Warblers performance at the nursing home near the school. Wes was going to sing 'I''ll Cover You' from RENT, Blaine would sing 'True Colours', and Kurt was going to sing 'Defying Gravity' (seeing as he missed his chance to sing it properly when in the diva-off with Rachel) from Wicked, and everyone was excited about it because Hugh Franco, a famous music producer, was rumoured to be visiting his grandmother on the same day.

'He'll obviously fall in love with my voice; I mean, who hasn't after hearing it?' Kurt was saying as Wes walked into the room. The boys gratefully accepted the coffee, and resumed their conversation.

'Katherine is going to be there, because she has always had a soft spot for Wes and is happy that he's finally getting a chance to sing – which is confusing seeing as he is one of the people who decides who sings, along with me and Thad –, and _Tabitha_ is also going to be there to see Wes sing.' David made a face when he said Tabitha's name, and Nick concluded – from the fact that everyone around him except Wes was making the same face – that no one liked this Tabitha character.

'Hey, don't do that. Tabitha's my girlfriend.' Wes half-heartedly defended her, making Nick presume that he knew why everyone didn't like her.

'She's evil. I don't even know why you date her. That girl – Clara – is really sweet, smart, funny, cute and everything else that Tabitha is _not_, so why don't you ask her out? I mean, she likes you, and you like her, even though you don't want to admit it.' David looked pointedly at Wes, who glared at him and promptly changed the topic of conversation.

'So, Jeff, when are you and Nick getting together?' Nick's head snapped up, and Jeff looked fairly uncomfortable.

'What?' Nick looked at Wes, who just shrugged.

'Well, the tension between you two is quite thick, and there is no way you are as _oblivious_ as these two over here,' Wes said, pointing to the two waffle-makers. 'Or these two over here,' Tilting his head in the direction of Thad and Flint. 'So I'll repeat my question; when are you two going to start going out?'

Nick and Jeff shared a glance, before Jeff turned back to Wes and opened his mouth to answer.

'It's complicated.' Nick beat him to the punch. Rolling his eyes, Wes lifted up his coffee cup and caught a glimpse of the time.

'Shit! I have a date with Tabitha in less than an hour! Gotta go.' He shouts from where he is already half-way down the hall. David shakes his head and counts to 5, and then Wes appears in the doorway.

'Um, I forgot that this is my room. Would you all mind –' He makes a shooing motion, and everyone stands up and walks out of the room, grumbling to themselves.

Nick and Jeff walk in the direction of their room, and it's then that Nick remembers the whole reason he went to Wes and David's dorm in the first place.

'Uh, Jeff?' Jeff lifted his head from where it was studying the patterns on the wooden floor of the hallway to meet Nicks eyes. From his expression, Nick knew that he didn't have to ask his question, because Jeff already knew it.

'Can we – can we go back to our room first?' Nick nodded, and the two walked the rest of the way to their room in silence.

When they were comfortably seated on the beds, Jeff began.

* * *

'Ok, so, you want to know what my dream – nightmare – last night was about, right?' Jeff looked at Nick, as if hoping against hope that he was wrong and Nick didn't want to know that, but no such luck.

'I do, but if you don't feel comfortable telling me then it's fine. I promise.' Jeff just smiled at Nick, wondering where he got such a good friend.

'I'll tell you. You were bound to find out sooner or later. Ok, well, here goes. It's not really a dream or a nightmare, it's more of a – of a memory.'


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: Yeah, ok so even I am getting annoyed at myself for dragging this out; I probably have said this before, but it is so much easier to just write Niff than Nick and Jeff. Anyway, this chapter may seem a little muddled, but that was just because I didn't want to describe the nightmare/memory all over again. Speaking of nightmares, I had the worst one where I was told that my sister had a terminal disease and only a few weeks to live, and she is only a baby (well, I call her one, she's not really). As you can imagine, it was horrible. Onto a brighter note, I am starting to feel sorry for everything I've put my characters through, so I am going to try to make this chapter happier. Try to. Even though something that happens in it is not Niff-friendly. And for Kurtbastian fans, ****_An Unprecedented Friendship_**** is my Kurtbastian story because ****_how could I not?_**

**The part about racism, I do that a lot. I know that others don't consider things like that being racist, but I just don't want anything I say to be interpreted the wrong way. So I incorporated that into Nick's character for some reason.**

**Ok, so I need to get this out. Telly Leung is absolutely amazing. So is Dominic Barnes, Riker Lynch, Titus Makin Jr., and all the other Warblers.**

**By the way, review are appreciated, and I try to reply to every one in some way or another.**

**P.S. I have found that planning and writing bits before you write the whole chapter can be really helpful, this is just to any aspiring writers or anything who may be looking for tips.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or anything or anyone else that you may recognise. But I do own Julian Reeves Jr. (well, this one anyway) and Julian Reeves Sr. (again, this one) and Le Chocolat the kitten, not the bouncer at the Moulin Rouge.**

**Chapter 10**

_'It's not really a dream or a nightmare, it's more of a – of a memory.'_

Jeff suddenly stopped, looking straight at Nick but not – not _at_ Nick, it was as if he was looking straight through Nick as he would a piece of cellophane, and Nick looked straight back at him, worried about his friends suddenly blank expression.

'A – a memory? Of what?' From the sounds and noises, not to mention the screams and whimpers that Jeff had been making that night... Nick was afraid to know exactly what the dream had been about, but at the same time he _had_ to know. It was as if there was this little bubble of curiosity inside of him, and if he didn't quell it with answers then it would grow bigger and bigger until it exploded.

Jeff shook his head, clearing it of all the thoughts crowding around inside it and distracting him from the task at hand, and began. 'It – it started last year. The nightmares, I mean. I – I am walking down the corridor of my old school, and everyone around me is calling me names, you know, the usual. F-fag, slut, homo. Then I reach my locker and there is a note inside of it...'

* * *

When Jeff finished his story, Nick was horrified. Not only had Jeff just revealed to him that he had been _raped_, but he had also given Nick a glimpse of Jeff's history, and to be honest, Nick didn't like it. Not. One. Bit. He couldn't believe that Jeff had been through all that – but at the same time he could – and he just wanted to go and find those people and beat the hell out of them. But right now, all he could do was hold the crying Jeff in his arms, reassuring him that he would never, ever let something like that happen to him ever again, and hope, hope with all his might, that the universe will allow him to keep his word.

Stroking Jeff's back in what he hoped – and what seemed to be, judging from the results – a soothing manner, Nick eased him into bed and tucked him under the covers. It was only 11 AM, but the poor boy was already worn out from having to relate his worst nightmare to his friend, and was now getting some well-needed sleep. Nick stayed to watch over him and make sure that he didn't have another nightmare (his plan for if Jeff did – have a nightmare, that is – was to run out of the room yelling for David).

At some point, Nick must have dropped off, because the next thing he knew, Jeff was gently picking him up – bridal style, in case you wanted to know – and moving him into a more comfortable position on Jeff's bed, one that wouldn't mean Nick waking up with a crick in his neck and a bad mood. Seeing as Jeff clearly thought he was still asleep, and he actually was on the verge of falling asleep again, Nick decided not open his eyes or react to the kiss pressed to his forehead, nor to the murmured 'good night' he heard before the soft padding of feet on carpet echoed throughout the room, followed by the rustling of sheets and the flicking of a light switch.

Nick lay there, long after Jeff's breath had evened out and he had fallen fast asleep, just thinking. Thinking about everything that has happened in the few weeks he's been here, at Dalton. Meeting the Warblers, meeting Jeff, finding out things about Jeff's history, discovering that the students here are the weirdest yet, somehow, most loveable in the world, how some of them share his strange obsession with waffles... it may not seem like much, but in reality, it is so much more than he had ever dreamed of. Because with all this, Nick found comfort, safety, happiness, friendship... love. That is what it is really. He loves his new friends, and they love him. He... well, his feelings for Jeff don't go that far yet, but he's sure that with time, he could love Jeff. They could move in together and get married and have kids – but, he's not going to get ahead of himself, because every other time that he has loved or felt loved by someone, it had been taken away in one way or another. But Jeff – he's different. And maybe Nick can hope, because in this case... hope for a better future, and futile wishes on stars, may be exactly what brings them together.

* * *

'Nick... Nicky... NICK!' Nick shot straight up in his bed like a bullet from a gun at the sound of his name being called.

'What? What's happening? What's wrong? Is everything all righ –'

'Yes, everything is fine. But it wont be if you don't get up right now and get ready for class, because your first class _starts in ten minutes and it's on the other side of the school!_ Oh, not to mention that you have _Mr Roderick!_' Jeff is standing over him, crossing his arms and looking down at him with an exasperated look pasted across his face. 'I mean seriously, how the hell did you sleep through your alarm and all David's hysterical screaming about – about something unintelligible...'

Nick sprang out of bed and raced over to the desk, on which his Dalton clothes currently lay on top of, pulling off his clothes from yesterday as he went. By the time Nick had gotten ready, brushed his teeth and combed his hair, Jeff had left for classes, leaving a note behind.

_Don't forget your Maths text book and English homework._

Shaking his head and wondering how this kid knew him so well after only having actually known him for a few weeks, Nick picked up said items and burst out the door and into the corridor, running as fast as his legs would carry him to reach his English class. Mr Roderick did not like it when students were late, and he was known to give out detention slips and long lectures about punctuality to anyone who was.

Just before he reached the door, Nick stopped and caught his breath, knowing full well how much Mr Roderick disliked messy or undapper appearances from students or anyone, really.

When he pushed the door open, Nick was relieved to see that he was only a few seconds late. Stepping into the room, Nick closed the door behind himself with a barely audible _click_ and proceeded to walk quietly over to his desk and slip into his seat. Mr Roderick hadn't turned around from where he was writing on the chalkboard (the teachers at Dalton were very – what is the right word, old school), so Nick assumed that he was out of danger.

He was wrong. _Oh_ was he wrong.

'Mr Duval? You are late.' Swallowing his retort about being only a few seconds late, Nick just looked at Mr Roderick's back, as Mr Roderick hadn't even turned around yet. 'Now, here at Dalton, we don't appreciate tardiness. Do you know why? Because it is unprofessional, and unacceptable, and certainly not tolerated in my classroom. Now other teachers may have let you be, deciding it was just a one off event and that it wouldn't happen again, but you will have no such mercy from me...' And so began the start of a very long lecture, ending with a detention slip and half an hour of the lesson left.

When lunch finally came around, Nick gratefully stumbled from his classroom and down to the cafeteria. As he was approaching the doors that lead to the cafeteria, he bumped into a student.

'Oh, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to...' Bright green eyes pierced his own, twinkling with amusement, and Nick suddenly found it hard to talk, or think, or do anything that didn't involve looking into those eyes. He brought a hand up to his face, and found that his skin was warm. He was _blushing_. Shaking his head, he knelt down to help the stranger pick up his papers. Their hands brushed more than a few times, almost as if it was on purpose, but Nick pushed that thought from his head as soon as it entered it, because _why_ would that happen?

'I'm Julian.' A smooth, silky voice broke the companionable silence that had settled over the two of them, and Nick looked up to see the boy looking back at him expectantly.

'Hmm? Oh, uh, h – hi. I – I'm Ni – Nick.' It was like when he was in this boys presence, he found himself incapable of forming a coherent sentence. But instead of dwelling on this, Nick just stuck his hand out to shake the other boys.

'Nice to meet you Nick.' Julian's hand lingered for a little too long to be normal, and his eyes ever left Nick's. Wanting to do something to make this situation a little less intense, Nick decided to ask Julian a question.

'So, are you new here? I mean, I've only been here for about a month or so myself, but I haven't seen you around.' Happy that he had not stumble or tripped over a single word this time, Nick smiled warmly at Julian as he awaited his answer.

'Yeah, I just transferred in from L.A..' Nick's eyes almost bugged out of his head. L.A.?!

Julian chuckled, clearly noticing Nick's not-so-subtle reaction, and Nick blushed even harder. _Seriously_, what was up with all this blushing?

'Oh, that – that – that is _awesome_!' Nick's hand came up to slap across his mouth, but it was too late. Fortunately, Julian didn't seem to find anything weird about Nick's reaction, and instead nodded along in agreement.

'Yeah, it was pretty awesome. My father, Julian Reeves Sr., was working there on...' The rest of Julian's sentence was lost on Nick; he was stuck on the fact that one) this boy was his favourite actors son, and two) Julian's eyes were still on his and they were _breathtaking_. Not in the same way as Jeff's, but –

'Oh shit!' Julian looked shocked for a second, but the look morphed into understanding at Nick's next exclamation. 'I promised I'd meet up with Jeff for coffee like five minutes ago! I'm so sorry, but I've got to go.'

'It's fine. See you around, Nick.' Julian literally _purred_ Nick's name, and winked before turning and heading into the cafeteria. Ignoring the way his heart-rate had suddenly picked up, Nick sprinted down the hallway and out into the car park, feeling around in his pocket for his keys. Pulling them from his pocket, he unlocked his car and swung the door open, narrowly missing the car parked next to his.

As he turned the key in the ignition and pulled out of the lot, Nick thought about what had happened not five minutes ago. He had been talking to a guy. And that guy had tried flirting with him. And that guy just happened to be the only child of one of the most famous actors in America. Still trying to get his head around it, Nick just missed running over a small, black kitten, and although he knew he had missed it, his personality required him to get out and check on it.

'Aw, aren't you just the cutest thing!' Nick literally squealed when he saw the kitten, and he reached over to pick it up. The small fur ball whimpered, and curled into a ball to escape Nick's grip. A frown took over his face, and Nick started whispering comforting things, such as 'it's ok' and 'I won't hurt you' as he gently lifted the little kitten. Once it was settled into his hands (or hand, it was so small) Nick could see its features much more clearly. One of it's ears had been torn, it was a boy, it didn't have a collar or a tag or a chip (Nick had learnt how to find them one day at the vets, he had found a stray rabbit, and the vet had shown him how to find those chips in the animal by feeling around), it was trembling in his grip and not from the cold, and it was way too small and bonier than it should have been.

'Oh, you poor thing,' Nick cooed, cuddling the kitten to his chest. 'You are homeless, aren't you? Well, don't worry, papa Nicky is going to look after you, ok? Right now we are going to go and have lunch with my crush – I mean, best friend, and then I am going to take you straight to a vet, ok?' Hopping back into his car, Nick drove one-handed to the coffee shop and wrapped the kitten up in one of Kurt's scarves he had found in the back-seat. Kurt would probably bitch him about cat hairs and whatnot, but he figured that Kurt wouldn't mind so much if he knew why Nick had used the scarf.

Slowly getting out of the car, as to not jostle the now sleeping kitten (Le Chocolat, in honour of the character from Moulin Rouge), Nick walked over to the cafe and pushed the door open with a slight tinkle. Catching sight of Jeff's bright blonde hair, Nick smiled and made his way over to that side of the coffee shop. Nick easily slid into the seat in front of Jeff, making a sound in the back of his throat to catch the boys attention. Jeff turned to Nick, and gave him a warm smile, which was returned almost instantly.

'Hey.'

'Hi. Sorry I was late, I was talking to someone.' Jeff just nodded, and it was at that moment that Le Chocolat decided to let out a barely audible 'meow'. Apparently, it wasn't that quiet, because Jeff tilted his head in confusion. 'Uh, Jeff, meet Le Chocolat.'

For a second Jeff looked confused, but then Nick pulled the kitten from where he had been squirming around in his pocket, and Jeff's eyes softened as he caught sight of the malnourished and poorly treated animal.

'Aw, the poor baby. Where did you find him?' Jeff held out his hands to take the kitten, and Nick reluctantly handed him over. He was worried that the kitten would react badly if Jeff took him from Nick, but to his surprise Le Chocolat seemed to take an instant liking to Jeff, and nuzzled his palm.

'Well, I just missed running him over, and I got out to check on him. I'm pretty sure that he has no owner, and after this I am going to take him to the vet to make sure he has no diseases or anything that needs immediate treatment.' Jeff just nodded, his attention directed at the little kitten currently nipping his thumb playfully.

'Le Chocolat?'

'I like the name, and I feel like Le Chocolat is an under appreciated character. And he is bl – I mean, he has dark – uh, well –' Jeff laughed, and Nick hid his face in his hands. Nick always tried to monitor what he said, trying not to be racist, sexist or say anything which could be interpreted the wrong way, but that meant that sometimes getting things across to another person could become a bit hard.

'It's ok, I know what you mean. A strange choice of name, and an interesting reason, but I think that Le Chocolat suits him. He seems like a very... kind and interesting kitten. Now if he just became the bouncer at a cabaret, the name would suit him even better!' Jeff says with a laugh, and Nick smiles. He loves it when Jeff laughs.


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: Woah, ok, so this update is a little later than normal because I was caught up with ****_freaking Adam Lambert!_**** He is like... so – there's not even a word for it! It's just like, he's amazing, and so... I'll stop before I take up this whole chapter talking about the awesomeness of Adam Lambert. And Elliott Gilbert aka Starchild.**

**Has anyone ever heard Naked Love by Adam Lambert? That has to be one of my favourites, but you absolutely have to listen to the AOL session version. And Trespassing, that is absolutely amazing, and really catchy.**

**By the way, this isn't one of my best chapters. I ran out of ideas, so I just wrote whatever came to me (which wasn't much).** **I'm sorry if the chapter doesn't live up to your expectations, I just honestly don't have any ideas right now.**

**I've also lost track of when I set this story, so I'm pretending that Regionals is coming up, because I reread that part and realised it made no sense.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, or anything or anyone that you may recognise. Except for little Le Chocolat, and I don't even own the name.**

**Chapter 11**

Le Chocolat was becoming part of the family, even though they had only known him for about an hour or two. After Nick and Jeff had finished their coffee, they had taken Le Chocolat to the veterinarian, who checked him over and confirmed that Le Chocolat was in perfect condition. Well, in the sense that he had no diseases or life-threatening illnesses. He was malnourished and probably in need of a flea bath, but other than that he was fine. She did seem concerned over the tear in his ear, and was worried that if it wasn't treated properly it could become infected, so, along with strict orders to post missing cat flyers all over Westerville, the vet gave them salve which was to be applied to Le Chocolat's ear at least twice a day to stop such an infection from happening.

They had brought him back to Dalton, where, after a very heated argument with the headmaster, they had been allowed to keep him confined in their dorm room, on the grounds that as soon as he left the office he go straight to their dorm room and not leave it. Of course this rule was practically ignored, as the minute they left the room everyone was crowding around them and oohing and awing at Le Chocolat, and Nick and Jeff forced everyone into the senior commons (none of the Dalton boys ever really paid attention to the 'senior' part) to sit down on the couch, afraid that the mass of boys would overwhelm poor little Chocolat.

One by own, the boys came up to coo over the kitten, and eventually Nick, Jeff, Wes and Le Chocolat were the only ones left in the room. Wes was watching the cat with interest, but so far he hadn't made a move that suggested he was going to actually do anything. Nick and Jeff shared a confused look, and just as Nick opened his mouth to ask Wes if they could go, Wes spoke.

'This cat... it's like a symbol of luck. It was lucky that you almost ran over it, rather than someone else. And it's also like a symbol of hope... showing that no matter what your situation, there is always the chance that someone could come along and help you out. That there are people out in the world who would do that without a second thought, just like there are people out in the world who would walk right past you when you were in need of help without a second thought.'

Nick and Jeff gaped at him, wondering where in the world this was coming from, unable to say anything.

'He's exactly what we need...' Suddenly, Wes stood up and walked over to them. Bending down in front of Le Chocolat, he reached out a hand and tentatively – and awkwardly – petted the top of the kittens head. He then stood up, brushing his hands on his blazer, and walked out of the room.

Shaking their heads and contemplating what Wes had meant by 'he's exactly what we need', Nick and Jeff picked the kitten up and carried him to their dorm room. When they arrive there, however, they realised there was a few small problems.

'Where are we going to put him? And what's he going to eat? And he needs something to play with when we're in class, because otherwise we'll come back to have all our clothes and sheets and furniture ripped up.' Jeff thought out loud.

'Well, we're going to have to buy him a bed, and toys and food and whatever else a cat needs. In the meantime, he's going to have to stay in one of our beds.' Nick's eyes widened, and he looked at Jeff in horror.

'Not mine!' They both said at the same time. Thoughts of cat hairs and extra cleaning filled their minds, and neither was willing to make more than one trip a week to Dalton's washing rooms.

'Scissors, paper, rock.' Jeff offered, which made Nick roll his eyes but stick his hand out.

* * *

'Look, Jeff, I've already beaten you 29 times out of 38, just give up already!' Nick was growing frustrated, as Le Chocolat was currently curled up on his blazer, and he could already see the mountain of hairs gathering there.

'But – no – I – but – fine.' Jeff grumbled, scooping up the cat and plopping him unceremoniously onto his bed. Le Chocolat let out a noise of protest, but that was soon drowned out by the purring of a sleeping kitten. Looking at the time, Jeff saw that Warblers practise was about to commence in a few minutes, and if they were late then Wes would probably – no, scratch that, definitely – lecture them about tardiness and punctuality. He was worse than Mr Roderick. Jeff grabbed Nicks arm and pulled him out of the room, down the hall and towards the Warblers Hall.

They got there just in time, with only a minute to spare. There was silence as everyone watched Wes watch the door, glance down at his watch then up at the door again. Nick leant over Jeff's shoulder to whisper in his ear.

'Why does Wes keep doing that?'

In answer to his question, Jeff just nodded over to the door, which had begun to open. Julian stepped through the door, and was greeted by Wes.

'Ah, Julian. You've come at last. Next time, though, I'd prefer you to be on time, as the Warblers have a strict punctuality policy.'

'With you running them, they must.' Julian smirked at Wes, who just rolled his eyes and turned towards the rest of the room.

'Warblers, meet Julian Reeves, the newest member of the Warblers. Thad, if you would do the honours.' Thad nodded, and reached under the desk to pull out a cage with an actual Warbler, a lot like the one Jeff had been handed when he first joined.

'Julian Warbler, this is your Warbler to look after and keep. Her name is Whitney – David named her – and she is our welcoming present to you.' Everyone clapped, and Julian took the cage and sat down next to Nick.

'I didn't know you sang, Nick. Though with a silky smooth voice like yours, I should have guessed.' Julian winked, and Nick felt his face heat up. Jeff clenched his fists, but didn't say – or do – anything, even though he was thinking many (none of them good and acceptable for a Dalton boy, though).

Nick muttered a thanks, and turned his attention towards the rest of the room, who were in turn looking at the two of them with confusion and interest.

'Do you two know each other?' Trent asked, voicing the thoughts that everyone in the room was thinking.

'Yes. But... not as well as I'd like.' Julian was starting to get on Jeff's nerves, and that was apparently showing clearly on his face by the way everyone kept glancing at him in amusement.

Several people in the room sniggered under their breath, as Julian was clearly unaware of how he was making Jeff feel, and only had eyes for Nick. Nick cleared his throat, trying to turn everyone's attention back to a very frustrated and annoyed looking Wes, who wasn't used to this level of disobedience.

BANG! The sound of the gavel hitting the wooden sound block echoed throughout the room, and effectively brought everyone's eyes back to the front of the room. Wes glared at every single Warbler, each on gulping when his eyes landed on them, because when he wanted to, Wes could be really _scary_.

'Alright, let's get this show on the road.' David started speaking before Wes could launch into one of his behaviour and commitment rants which by now, everyone knew off by heart. 'First off, we need to decide who the solos for Regionals will go to, so naturally, we are going to hold auditions.'

'AKA, Blaine is going to sing two songs while the rest of us fight over the remaining solo which will eventually be given to, oh, I don't know, _Blaine_.' Everyone was surprised when Kurt spoke up. 'Now, I have nothing against Blaine, he knows that, and he does have an amazing voice, but don't you think that maybe, we should give everyone a fair chance? When was the last time we ever had some competition and Blaine _didn't_ sing every song? If there was, enlighten me.'

No one in the room said anything, and Kurt sat back down with a triumphant 'humph'. Blaine stood up next, and to everyone's surprise – again – took Kurt's side.

'Kurt is right. I appreciate you all giving me the chance to lead you, and I am grateful that you all trust me to be responsible for leading you to victory, but I don't want anyone to feel like their voices are being ignored, and right now, that is what is happening. So therefore, I refuse to sing lead in any Regionals song unless the other two are sung by other people.'

Wes was shocked. David was thinking it was about time. Thad was feeling guilty. Blaine was feeling a little regretful of letting go of the spotlight. And Kurt's love for Blaine increased immensely.

'Does this happen every rehearsal?' Julian whispered into Nick's air, breathing hot air across his cheek and making Nick shiver. Seeing as his vocal cords seemed to have shut down, Nick just shook his head. Besides, he wanted to see the reaction this – this _rebellion _would earn from Wes.

What no one expected was for Wes to remain absolutely calm, after he got over his initial shock. He even _smiled_.

'Very well then, if that is how you feel. David, please remember to write this down in the official minu – WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT DRAWING DEGRADING PICTURES OR GAVEL?! I WILL HURT YOU!' Wes then noticed everyone staring at him from where he was looming dangerously over his best friend, arms outstretched. Clearing his throat and returning to his seat, he continued from where he left off. 'As I was saying, remember to write this down in the official minutes. Blaine shall sing the last solo, and we shall hold auditions for the other two, one of which won't be a solo but a duet. And Blaine can't audition for either of them. Got that?'

David nodded, wishing right then that he didn't share a room with the boy sitting next to him, as _who knows_ when he would decide to strike and get his revenge.

'Alright then. Now, seeing as the council will need time to plan out these auditions, we will have to cut this rehearsal short. A sign up sheet will be posted on the noticeboard at the front of the school by tomorrow morning, and anyone who wishes to may sign up for an audition. This meeting is concluded.' The council members started organising the auditions, and the rest of the Warblers were left to return to their dormitories.

Nick and Jeff walked out of the room together, both anxious to get back to Le Chocolat and make sure that the homework they had left out was still in one piece, but they were stopped by someone.

'Nick, you're not going to leave so soon? I was hoping that we could, perhaps, catch a movie later or something?' Julian was watching Nick so intently that he didn't seem to notice Jeff, until said boy cleared his throat. 'Oh, where are my manners. Hi, I'm Julian, and you are?'

'Jeff,' Jeff was trying his hardest to be polite, but it was a little hard when the person who kept flirting with your best friend/crush was the one you were talking to. 'Jeff Sterling, Nick's boy – best friend.'

Both Julian and Nick raised an eyebrow at the slip up, but neither commented on it.

'Well, it's nice to meet you Jeff. And you are welcome to join us at the movie theatre... that is, if Nick agrees to go?' He phrased it as a question, training his gaze on Nick as he waited for an answer.

'Uh – um – I –' Nick stuttered, not quite sure what to say. 'I – uh – can I, um, yeah, sure.'

'Excellent.' With that, Julian spun on his heel and walked down the hallway, presumably towards his dorm.

Nick stood stock still, staring after Julian, before a small group of students jostled him as they were passing by. Knocked out of his reverie, Nick glanced beside him to see Jeff glaring in the direction in which Julian had walked, and had to repress a laugh.

'Come on. I want to see if our room survive the 'Attack of the Cute Little Kitten'.' He said as he dragged Jeff along the corridor towards their room. The opening of their door confirmed his suspicions.


End file.
